Mamata writes to Modi to take up destruction at Tagore’s house in B’desh
The Statesman | 14 June 2025
Chief minister Mamata Banerjee has expressed her “deepest anguish” over the incident of vandalisation involving Rabindranath Tagore’s house in Sirajganj, Bangladesh.
She has written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi urging him to take up the matter “very strongly” with the interim government in Bangladesh.
Advertisement
“…Tagore frequented the place repeatedly in his lifetime, and many of his finest works were conceived or written while he was there. The poet’s creativity was intertwined with his association with this ancestral estate of theirs in an intimate manner. What has been vandalised is not a mere house, but a towering fountain of creativity in our subcontinent…”
“For people of Bengal, this attack is an onslaught on the commonly held legacy of Tagore. The invaluable treasury of Bengali language and literature owes significantly to the majestic contributions of Tagore….”
Urging the central government to pursue the matter with Muhammad Yunus-headed government in Bangladesh, she wrote: “I would urge you to kindly take up the matter very strongly with the neighbouring country’s government, so that no stone is left unturned to swiftly bring to justice the perpetrators of this heinous and mindless act. Although untold damage has already been done, a strong international protest would at least deter in future any attack on monuments of cultural legacies that have withstood steadfastly all tests of time.”
The CM later wrote in her X-handle: “Kobiguru Rabindranath Tagore is not just Bengal’s pride- He is a towering figure of global civilization. The shocking vandalism of Kobiguru’s ancestral home in Sirajganj, Bangladesh is an act of sheer barbarism that has deeply wounded the sentiments of millions.
“This is not merely the defacement of a structure- It is a direct assault on our shared cultural heritage and the timeless ideals Tagore stood for. Such desecration cannot and must not be ignored.
“I have written to Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, urging immediate and strong diplomatic engagement with the Government of Bangladesh.
“The perpetrators must be swiftly identified and brought to justice and firm steps must be taken to safeguard all sites of cultural and historical significance from such future violations.
“Bengal will not tolerate any insult to its icons anywhere in the world.”