Kol remembers Mujib house, says history cannot be erased
Times of India | 7 February 2025
1234 Kolkata: When former President of India Pranab Mukherjee visited Dhaka in 2018, he paid a visit to the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Memorial Museum in Dhanmondi. The museum, housed inside the same building where a group of rogue army officers assassinated Bangabandhu along with most of his family members on Aug 15, 1975, was demolished on Wednesday.
Vandals attacked the building, setting it ablaze and demolishing parts with hammers and shovels. An excavator and crane were later used to tear down the structure. Back in Kolkata, those who had been to the house (museum) recalled their memories of the structure that they said offered a peek into Bangladesh's history. Wednesday's images showed the building in ruins, with hundreds of people swarming over the debris.
Yet, this is not the memory that film editor Saikat Sekhareswar Ray of Satyajit Ray Film and Television Institute has of the museum he visited in 2006 while working with filmmaker Badal Rehman on a project.
"Entering the house was a harrowing experience, evoking a profound sense that such a massacre should never have occurred. I distinctly remember the attic with its electronic keyboard. Despite the disturbing impact of the visit, I believed the memory needed preservation. The museum's existence was crucial, offering insight into Bangladesh's blood-stained history. How can this be suddenly erased under the guise of cleansing?" Ray asked.
Author Prabal Kumar Basu, who visited the Dhanmondi house thrice between 2016 and 2019, recalls poignant memories of how the museum preserved personal belongings of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's 10-year-old son, Sheikh Russel. The boy was assassinated along with eight family members. "It was a challenging experience to see the bullet marks on the walls. A jar of pickles and a soft drink bottle still lay on the table, next to Russel's bicycle. I felt as if the boy would return any moment to have some pickle before going out for a ride. One act of violence that could have served as a lesson for posterity became a victim of another act of violence. I always criticised the excesses Sheikh Hasina did. Despite all her good work, she turned autocratic. Yet, nothing justifies the demolition of her house. History can't be erased this way," Basu opined.
This incident, Ray said, evokes the same feelings that he had when Babri Masjid was demolished. "Attempting to rewrite history in this manner serves no purpose. Even painful historical experiences must be preserved and learned from before creating a new world. Even Nazi concentration camps have not been obliterated. Why should Bangladesh do this? These so-called revolutionaries, who resemble hooligans, are attempting to erase Bangladesh's foundation and tamper with the country's identity," Ray said. Director Soumitra Dastidar had visited the museum several times before, with his last visit in June 2024. "I have been a critic of Sheikh Hasina and have supported the Aug uprising. There can be historical critiques of Mujib and Hasina but I cannot condone the demolition of the house," Dastidar stated.
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