Key liberation war history removed from National Museum

The National Museum authorities have been accused of removing important parts of the Liberation War history and reducing the presence of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

Several visitors who visited the site said that there is no separate gallery dedicated to Bangabandhu in the Liberation War corner. They also complained that there was no representation of his March 7 speech, the six points of 1966, or his leadership in the 1969 mass uprising.

The museum authorities, however, said that no artifacts were destroyed. Some portraits and artifacts were temporarily removed and stored safely due to fears of attacks during last year's political unrest.

Director General Tanjim Wahab said that work is underway to re-present the overall history of Bangladesh, including 1952, 1971, and 1924, and an expert committee has been formed for this purpose.

He assured that Bangabandhu's role in the Liberation War will be given its due place in history.

The institution, which started its journey as the 'Dhaka Museum' in 1913, is currently one of the largest museums in South Asia. Against 93,246 registered artifacts, only 4,178 artifacts are being displayed in the 46 galleries of the four-story building. That is, about 5 percent of the total collection. The remaining large number of artifacts are stored in stores.