Bangabandhu’s image defaced at Rangpur monument

Tensions flared in Rangpur late Thursday night as a group of individuals claiming to be part of the “July Warriors” defaced a portrait of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman at the city’s iconic Arjan sculpture, a monument commemorating the Liberation War.

Witnesses said the group arrived at the Modern intersection around 11:30 p.m. in a Rangpur City Corporation vehicle. Chanting anti-government slogans, the group targeted the portrait of Sheikh Mujib affixed to the monument, spraying it with black paint before leaving the site amid cheers and celebration.

Slogans such as “Bury Mujibism,” “No place for Chhatra League,” and “Awami League’s grave will be in every home” were reportedly heard during the demonstration.

This act of vandalism is part of a series of coordinated attacks on symbols associated with the Awami League. On February 5, murals of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman were torn down at Rangpur Zilla School, Begum Rokeya University, and Carmichael College. Similar incidents were also reported at the Rangpur District Council and in several upazilas across the district.

Imran Ahmed, identified as a spokesperson for the July movement, told reporters, “No symbols of the fascist regime will remain in Rangpur. Resistance will rise wherever fascism appears.”

In a previous incident on August 5, following what was described by protestors as the fall of the Hasina-led government, demonstrators had draped the national flag over the same portrait at the Arjan sculpture in a symbolic act of protest.

As of Friday morning, authorities had not released an official statement regarding the latest incident.