Shoes hung on Bir Sreshtha Hamidur Rahman sculpture in Jhenaidah, sparking outrage
The incident comes amid earlier vandalism of the sculpture, while police have launched an investigation to identify those responsible.
A photo showing shoes hanging from the sculpture of Bir Sreshtha Hamidur Rahman in Jhenaidah has circulated on Facebook, triggering outrage among local residents and freedom fighters.
The incident took place at a square named after Hamidur Rahman near the Central Bus Terminal, one of the entry points to Jhenaidah town, reports Prothom Alo.
It is not yet known who hung the shoes on the sculpture, and no one has been found who witnessed the act.
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Freedom fighter Md Kamaluzzaman told Prothom Alo that he learned about the incident through social media and sent a man named Shamim Hossain to the site. Shamim removed the shoes from the sculpture, he said.
"This is very unfortunate. Further steps will be taken regarding the matter," Kamaluzzaman added.
Several local traders, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Prothom Alo that they noticed the shoes when they opened their shops in the morning. Discussions and criticism over the incident began soon afterwards, and someone later came and removed the shoes.
Several freedom fighters expressed outrage, saying Hamidur Rahman was a source of pride for Jhenaidah and the country and had made a historic contribution by sacrificing his life during the Liberation War.
They also said structures built in his name had been vandalised before and called for an investigation to identify those responsible for the latest incident and bring them to justice.
Jhenaidah Deputy Commissioner Md Noman Hossain said the authorities were aware of the incident and had already held a meeting over it.
"Police have started an investigation. Whoever is involved will be brought under the law," he said, according to Prothom Alo.
The sculpture stands in the middle of the Jhenaidah-Dhaka highway. Its foundation stone was laid on 26 March 2017 by then Deputy Commissioner Saroj Kumar Nath and municipal mayor Saidul Karim.
Construction of the sculpture later stalled before it could be completed. The unfinished structure remained neglected for years, with garbage often dumped on its pedestal.
After the Awami League government fell on 5 August 2024, the sculpture was vandalised twice, according to Prothom Alo. It was damaged again in July this year amid attempts to remove it, although no one claimed responsibility.
The vandalism stopped after reports on the issue were published, the report said.
