5 arrested in connection with vandalism at Tagore's ancestral home in Bangladesh

Dhaka: At least five persons have been arrested in connection with the vandalisation of the ancestral home of Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore in Bangladesh, with the authorities saying that no relics associated with the poet were damaged.

The Rabindra Kachharibari or Rabindra Memorial Museum, which was closed after the vandalism on Sunday, was reopened for visitors on Friday, the Dhaka Tribune newspaper reported.

Kachharibari is the ancestral home and revenue office of the Tagore family located in Sirajganj district.

Purchased by Rabindranath’s grandfather Dwarakanath Tagore in 1840, the premises worked as a favourite recluse for the Nobel laureate, who wrote many of his notable literary works at this site.

In a statement, the Ministry of Cultural Affairs said that no relics or artefacts associated with Rabindranath Tagore’s memory were damaged during the incident when an altercation broke out between an employee on duty and a visitor over a parking ticket, the paper said.

Following the incident, a mob attacked and vandalised the auditorium of the Kachharibari and beat a director of the institution.

The statement said the district administration and the Department of Archaeology had each formed separate investigation committees, and law enforcement authorities arrested five people in connection with the incident.

It said the authorities continued their efforts to apprehend others involved.

"Rabindra Kachharibari has been reopened to visitors from Friday," the statement said, highlighting that the nobel laureate's ancestral home was a protected archaeological site under the Bangladesh government.

It said every year, thousands of visitors from home and abroad visit the site to pay tribute to the memory of the great poet.

Security measures at Rabindra Kachharibari have been reinforced, it said.

The statement also highlighted that the 164th birth anniversary of the poet was recently celebrated with due reverence and grandeur on the 25th Baisakh at Shilaidaha (Kushtia), Shahjadpur (Sirajganj), and Patisar (Naogaon).

India on Thursday strongly condemned the vandalism and termed the violent attack a "disgrace" to the memory and inclusive philosophy espoused by the poet.

It urged the interim government in Bangladesh to rein in these elements and take "strict action" against the perpetrators to prevent the recurrence of such incidents.