Protests erupt over demolition of poet Rafiq Azad's Dhanmondi residence

A portion of the Dhanmondi residence of the late freedom fighter and poet Rafiq Azad has been demolished. Rafiq Azad lived in this house with his family for nearly 29 years. The National Housing Authority began the demolition work on Wednesday (April 15) morning. Of the four-unit house, one unit is currently occupied by the poet's wife, Dilara Hafiz. The remaining three units are allocated to others. Two units on the eastern side of the house were demolished on Wednesday.

The house located at 139/4A, Road No. 1 in Dhanmondi (western side) is situated on approximately 5 kathas of land. According to sources, the one-story house was temporarily allotted in the name of poet Dilara Hafiz by the ‘Estate Office’ in 1988. At the time, Dilara Hafiz was serving as a lecturer at Eden College.

The allotment document, signed by M Begum, assistant director of the National Housing Authority, states that this allotment does not confer any ownership rights over the house. However, it does allow the occupants to reside there until further orders are issued.

After a long time, a man named Syed Nehal Ahad claimed ownership of the house. He received a court verdict in his favour in 2012. In response, Dilara Hafiz filed a lawsuit against Syed Nehal, the Housing and Public Works Authority, and the Housing and Public Works Ministry. As a result, the court issued a status quo order on the property. The following year, the court made that status quo permanent.

Later, the case was transferred to the 7th Assistant Judge Court in Dhaka. Testimony in the case is scheduled to be heard on May 25.

Referencing these details, on Tuesday, Dilara Hafiz sent separate letters to Adilur Rahman Khan, adviser to the Housing and Public Works Ministry, the Secretary of the same ministry, and the Secretary of the Ministry of Cultural Affairs. Despite this, an eviction drive was carried out at the house on Wednesday morning.

Dilara Hafiz received the house allotment as a lecturer under the education cadre. She eventually retired from government service after serving four years as the principal of Government Titumir College and later as the Chairperson of the Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board. Her husband, Rafiq Azad, was an eminent poet and a heroic freedom fighter, honored with numerous awards including the Ekushey Padak and the Bangla Academy Award. Their two children, Abhinna Azad and Abyay Azad, currently live abroad.

Speaking on the matter, Dilara Hafiz said, "Rafiq Azad was a leading poet and a heroic freedom fighter of the nation. Just yesterday, I went to the Public Works Ministry seeking a permanent settlement order for part of the house to preserve his memory."

She said that she did not expect an eviction drive while the case is still under trial.

Outrage and Protests

The demolition of poet Rafiq Azad's residence has sparked a wave of anger and protest on social media, especially on Facebook. Writers, poets, journalists, and well-wishers of the poet have expressed strong reactions and deep resentment over the incident.

Many supporters of the poet voiced their outrage, with some sarcastically commenting on Facebook using phrases like “Renovation in progress,” “Government of destruction,” “Yunus and company will ruin everything,” and “Deeply painful,” among others.

In a heartfelt reaction on Facebook, raised a powerful question: "
Is this vengeance just because he was a freedom fighter — raising this question, poet Farhan Ishraq in Facebook reaction wrote, “Since last July, the things happening in Bangladesh have left me mentally paralyzed. Nothing surprises me anymore. But seeing the house of poet Rafiq Azad and poet Dilara Hafiz being demolished… I was stunned. That house held cultural and historical value—it could have been turned into a museum. Just like how similar houses are preserved around the world. And yet, it was razed to the ground. Instead of preserving it as a historical site, are we to believe this was an act of revenge because Rafiq Azad was a freedom fighter? That’s something worth pondering. I feel like I need to uninstall Facebook again—otherwise, watching all this might just drive me insane."

Poet and journalist Zahid Sohag wrote, “Though I was unclear about the allotment during my time as director general of the Jatiya Grantho Kendra, the Hasina government had arranged everything for their eviction, which even escalated to the High Court. It must be remembered, however, that this is government property.”

Expressing deep frustration, poet Manik Bairagi said, "Is the current interim government even afraid of a deceased poet now? Rafiq Azad was a heroic freedom fighter who passed away long ago. He is a part of Bengal’s literary heritage. Even during the tenure of the previous government, there were attempts to take over this house, but the court respected Rafiq Azad. Now, whatever the current government desires simply becomes reality. All that remains untouched are Grameen Bank and Yunus Centre."

He further wrote, "During the Liberation War, Rafiq Azad’s ancestral home in Tangail was looted and burned down by the Pakistani forces. At that very time, Rafiq Azad was fighting in the war as a member of the Kaderia Bahini. And now, again, his home is being demolished—only this time, by his own nation?"

Demanding the establishment of a cultural centre in the name of Rafiq Azad at his residence, poet Ahmed Shiplu said, "Although this is government property, it can be preserved and turned into a cultural centre in Rafiq Azad's name. There is still time. We must speak up. If this is demolished, it will set a terrible example. In places like Dhanmondi, there is no shortage of houses, markets, and apartments, but there will never be another house of Rafiq Azad, the poet of ‘Bhat De Haramjada,’ the poet of love and rebellion. These are the assets of the nation. If necessary, it could be handed over to a trustee for preservation."

Researcher Mir Shamshul Alam Babu views the issue differently. He told the Views Bangladesh, "This house was allotted by the government. The government has canceled the allotment of this house. The building is being demolished for construction purposes. There is no legal discrepancy. If the government allocates a government house to someone and later cancels the allocation, the government is free to build something else there. There is no legal obstacle here. There are many such houses. For example, the Gulistan Cinema Hall which was owned by the Pakistanis, and later it was demolished to build a new structure. We never protested about that, right?"