Shilpakala Academies attacked, looted, and burned in 22 districts

Following the violence related to the anti-discrimination student movement and Sheikh Hasina's departure, there have been reports of attacks, vandalism, looting, and arson at Shilpakala Academies in at least 22 districts and upazilas across the country.

Shilpakala Academy's public relations officer, Sabina Yasmin, told online media, "The vandals ransacked the auditorium, stealing and damaging items such as harmoniums, tanpuras, computers, projectors, and cameras."

She said, "Office cameras, projectors, and computers were stolen, and documents from Shilpakala Academy were burned. Additionally, CCTV cameras have been vandalized in several districts."

"Based on reports from the district and upazila levels, we have confirmed that more than 22 Shilpakala Academies have been attacked," she added.

Regarding the extent of the damage, Sabina Yasmin said, "It is difficult to provide an exact figure at this time. However, preliminary reports from various districts suggest that the losses could amount to several crores of taka."

On August 5 at noon, Shilpakala Academies in Jhenaidah and Chandpur districts were attacked. While Satkhira Shilpakala Academy was not targeted, it suffered a theft. Thieves broke the office lock and stole cash, projectors, cameras, keyboards, box-cables, and other items.

On August 4, the Shilpakala Academy in Sirajganj District was attacked. The incident involved arson and looting, with the Monsur Ali Auditorium and office room being vandalized and set on fire. Additionally, various goods were stolen.

The central office in Dhaka also reported attacks on Shilpakala Academies in Barisal, Mymensingh, Laxmipur, Sherpur, Naogaon, Barguna, Sunamganj, Rangpur, Khulna, Manikganj, Kurigram, and Tangail.

Attacks and vandalism occurred at several upazila Shilpakala Academies across the country, including those in Melandah (Jamalpur) and Shibchar (Madaripur).