PAIKGACHHA, Bangladesh — Demonstrators formed a human chain in Khulna’s Paikgachha demanding the removal of a sculpture under construction at the second campus of Khulna University. The human chain was organized under the banner of the Tauhidi Janata of Paikgachha-Koyra.
The human chain was held Tuesday morning in the upazila headquarters. Speakers at the event said the sculpture under construction had hurt the religious sentiments of devout people. They added that the politics of sculptures in this country had ended through the mass uprising of Aug. 5. No further politics of sculpture will be tolerated in this country, they said.
Speakers demanded the removal of the sculpture within 72 hours and said there would be no alternative to launching a tougher movement if it was not removed within that time. All responsibility would then fall on the government, they said.
The human chain was presided over by Maulana Abdul Aziz. Others who spoke included Hafez Maulana Abdur Rab, Mufti Ways Qarni, Maulana Monirul Islam, Hafez Maulana Shamsuddin, Maulana Raisul Islam, Maulana Saidur Rahman, Shariful Islam, Asadullah, Ataul Gani, Ilyas Amin and Farhad Hossain.
The sculpture was being built beside the Paikgachha-Koyra road at Khulna University’s second campus as part of preserving the memory of the Liberation War. After objections were raised, university authorities and the Education Engineering Department discussed the matter and halted construction. The sculpture is now covered with polythene.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report