Tagore portrait defacement leads to four arrests in Bangladesh

Police in Bangladesh said Sunday they had arrested four people on sedition charges after an alleged attempt to deface a portrait of Rabindranath Tagore outside Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy in Dhaka.

Sheikh Jahidul Islam, deputy commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s Ramna division, confirmed the arrests following Saturday’s incident in Segunbagicha.

Police identified those arrested as State Dialogue Forum member secretary A N M Ayas, 29; Md. Sakibul Hasan, 19; Md. Sujon Mia, 18; and Marzia Khandaker Rimi, 27.

Police said a case filed at Shahbagh Police Station included allegations of attempting to distort Tagore’s portrait, delivering provocative speeches, and attempting to disrupt religious harmony.

A woman was seen applying whitewash to the portrait’s face before a police officer intervened.

The portrait was among 10 painted during recent improvements outside the academy. Tagore wrote Bangladesh’s national anthem.