Two sent to jail in Rabindranath graffiti defacement case

A Dhaka court on Tuesday sent accused Sakibul Hasan and Sujan Mia to jail after the end of their remand in a case filed over an alleged attempt to deface a graffiti depicting Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore painted on a wall in front of the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy.

Dhaka Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Awlad Hossain Muhammad Junaid passed the order after a hearing.

Earlier in the day, Shahbagh Police Station Sub-Inspector Abdul Gaffar Himel, also the investigating officer in the case, produced them before the court and sought an order to send them to jail.

During the hearing, defence lawyer Monir Hossain Sumon argued for bail on behalf of his clients, while the prosecution opposed the plea. The court subsequently rejected the bail application and ordered that they be sent to jail.

On Sunday, the court granted three days’ remand for ANM Ayas and Md Sakibul Hasan and two days for Sujan Mia and Marzia Khandaker Rimi following their arrest in the case.

Police detained the four on Saturday while they were allegedly attempting to deface and damage the graffiti depicting Rabindranath Tagore on a wall in front of the Shilpakala Academy in Segunbagicha.

Later, Shahbagh Police Station Sub-Inspector Ziaul Haque filed the case against them on allegations of promoting enmity or hatred between different groups, committing deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings, and criminal conspiracy under the Penal Code.