Demolition of Satyajit Ray's home halted in Bangladesh after protests from India

The move was precipitated by swift and strong reactions from India after reports of the demolition surfaced. While the MEA offered support for preservation of the property, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee emphasized the property's importance to the cultural heritage of the state.

Following a sharp diplomatic protest from India and an outcry from West Bengal, authorities in Bangladesh have halted the demolition of legendary filmmaker Satyajit Ray's ancestral home in Mymensingh.

According to a report by NDTV, a committee has now been formed to explore its reconstruction, transforming the local issue into one with a potential diplomatic fallout.

The move was precipitated by swift and strong reactions from India after reports of the demolition surfaced.

The Ministry of External Affairs on Tuesday issued a statement noting the development with "profound regret" and offered to collaborate on repairing and reconstructing the property into a museum symbolising their "shared culture."

Echoing this sentiment, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee described the news as "extremely distressing," emphasizing that the house is "intricately tied to the cultural history of Bengal" and appealing for its preservation.

For their part, Bangladeshi authorities had initially cited safety risks, proposing that a new concrete structure would replace the dilapidated house to serve as a cultural centre. However, when Bangladeshi authorities heard of the sharp reactions from across the border, they attributed it to a "misunderstanding", NDTV reported.

This cultural flashpoint is not occurring in a vacuum. It plays out against the backdrop of a dramatic nosedive in bilateral relations between the two neighbours after the Awami League government was overthrown last year, leading to former Prime MInister Sheikh Hasina fleeing the country to India.

The transition has been far from smooth: while India has flagged repeated attacks against minority communities, particularly Hindus, in Bangladesh, Dhaka has remained firm, and has urged India to stay out of its internal matters and extradite Hasina.