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Published on June 21, 2025
Since the ousting of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on August 5, 2024, Bangladesh has entered a perilous new chapter—not only politically but culturally. Under the unelected interim government led by Nobel Laureate Dr. Muhammad Yunus, the country has seen a coordinated campaign of vandalism, arson, and erasure targeting its cultural landmarks, spiritual heritage, and artistic institutions. These attacks are not random—they are ideological. And the Yunus regime’s continued inaction raises disturbing questions about complicity and intent.
What started as a promise of “neutrality” and “reform” has become the cover for BNP, Jamaat-e-Islami, and the ultra-conservative National Citizens' Party (NCP) to wage a war on Bangladesh’s pluralist roots.
A Relentless Assault on Sufi Shrines
The spiritual lifeblood of Bengal—the Sufi shrines that have long symbolized harmony between faiths—are being obliterated in plain sight. Since August, over 105 Sufi shrines have been attacked by mobs of religious extremists across the country, according to a report by NE News.
Though the Yunus administration has publicly condemned these acts, it has not arrested a single perpetrator, despite clear video documentation. As The Daily Star reported, this silence is not simply bureaucratic failure—it is tacit approval. The attacks continue unchecked, emboldened by the state’s indifference and the loud rhetoric of political actors who deem Sufi practices “heretical.”
These shrines are more than religious sites—they are living monuments of Bangladesh’s syncretic identity, where Islam, Hinduism, and Bengali mysticism once met in spiritual unity. Their destruction signals a deeper ideological cleansing under way.
Targeting Art, Film, and Free Expression
The cultural carnage hasn’t spared Bangladesh’s artistic institutions. Since August 2024, cinema halls, sculptures, and art galleries have come under attack, many torched or defaced by supporters of BNP, Jamaat, and the National Citizens' Party (NCP). The Daily Star documented multiple incidents where statues of Jaynul Abedin, public sculptures, and even artworks inside galleries were either removed or vandalized by groups labeling them as “un-Islamic” or “anti-national.”
Among the desecrated symbols was the statue of Themis, representing justice, which once stood near the Supreme Court. Also targeted were the Venus statue at Shashi Lodge and murals portraying national icons.
Meanwhile, cinema halls showing socially critical films have been forced to shut down under threats or suspicious fires. This censorship-by-intimidation method is increasingly used to silence artists and filmmakers—anyone who resists the regime’s regressive narrative.
The Tragedy of Dhanmondi 32
No act of cultural desecration has shocked the nation more than the demolition of Dhanmondi 32—the historic residence of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, father of the nation. Twice attacked since the regime change, the house was finally razed by a mob led by July Movement and NCP activists, with full knowledge of law enforcement.
As revealed in PressXpress and The Wire, the violence was not spontaneous. It was incited in part by exiled YouTuber Pinaki Bhattacharya, who called for the "cleansing" of what he described as Awami League-era “symbols of oppression.” The response of the Yunus government? Absolute silence.
No arrests. No investigation. No protection of one of the nation’s most sacred sites. The message could not be clearer: Bangladesh’s history is negotiable, expendable, and vulnerable to mob rule.
Latest Casualty: Tagore’s Legacy
On June 12, 2025, mobs vandalized the ancestral home of Rabindranath Tagore in Sirajganj—known as the Kachari Bari Museum. A Nobel laureate, Tagore’s legacy transcends borders and religions. Yet his home was targeted for supposedly promoting “Hindu cultural supremacy.” As India Today reported, entry to the museum has been closed and another empty “probe” has been launched.
When the guardians of culture are under attack, and even Tagore is not safe, the signal is terrifying. It is not about religion—it is about rewriting the national identity to suit a narrow, sectarian vision.
A War on Pluralism, A War on the Nation
What is unfolding is not a random wave of vandalism—it is a state-enabled cultural purge. The Yunus regime has stood by, offering symbolic statements but no action, even as mobs rewrite the country’s cultural DNA. The radical coalition that propped him up—BNP, Jamaat, and NCP—is now shaping the moral and cultural boundaries of Bangladesh in the most regressive terms imaginable.
Cultural memory is being erased, heritage dismantled, and a dangerous vacuum is forming. This isn’t just about broken statues and burned halls—it’s about remaking Bangladesh in the image of intolerance.
The World Watches in Silence
Despite the scale of the destruction, the international community remains disturbingly quiet. Dr. Yunus, once hailed globally for his work on microcredit, continues to enjoy credibility abroad. But while he smiles for photo-ops with donors and diplomats, his government oversees one of the largest cultural collapses in Bangladesh’s history.
UNESCO has yet to speak. Western governments that once funded cultural projects have issued no rebukes. Meanwhile, the people of Bangladesh are left to mourn the loss of their past—and fear for their future.
The Call for Resistance
This cannot go on. Bangladesh’s identity is not up for negotiation. A country born in blood and idealism cannot be allowed to wither under silence and complicity. The regime’s failure to protect its heritage is not just a cultural issue—it is a political crime.
The people of Bangladesh deserve better than a government that watches its soul being shattered, one shrine, one sculpture, one memory at a time.
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