Why is Tripura BJP Protesting Over Vandalism at Tagore's Ancestral Home in Bangladesh?

Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- Widespread protests were organized by BJP in Tripura against the vandalism of Tagore's ancestral home.
- Senior leaders expressed outrage over the attack, emphasizing cultural preservation.
- The incident has implications for India-Bangladesh relations.
- Calls for action have been made to the Bangladeshi government.
- Vandalism reflects a broader concern for shared cultural heritage.
Agartala, June 14 (NationPress) The ruling BJP in Tripura organized widespread protests on Saturday near the Bangladesh border, demonstrating against the recent attack and vandalism of the ancestral residence of Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore in the neighboring nation.
According to BJP sources, demonstrations occurred in over six locations across six districts adjacent to Tripura's border with Bangladesh.
Senior party officials, including ministers, spearheaded the protest rallies in Agartala, Udaipur, Belonia, Kailashahar, Dharmanagar, and Khowai.
State BJP General Secretary and MLA Bhagaban Das, who led a protest at the Agartala-Akhaura Integrated Check Post, stated, 'An appalling act of vandalism at the ancestral home of Rabindranath Tagore in Bangladesh has outraged the people of India.'
Das, a former minister, emphasized that such an assault on our shared cultural heritage is utterly intolerable.
'There should be limits to such heinous actions. The properties and heritage connected to a towering cultural figure like Tagore have been desecrated in Bangladesh. Such acts are an unforgivable crime,' he informed the media.
Das further criticized the interim government in Bangladesh, led by Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus, for failing to uphold law and order, resulting in unprecedented unrest.
The BJP leader announced that protests would continue on June 16 across all assembly constituencies in Tripura.
On June 8, a mob attacked and vandalized Tagore’s ancestral home in Bangladesh, known as Rabindra Kachharibari or the Rabindra Memorial Museum in the Sirajganj district.
Reports indicated that the attackers also assaulted a director of the institution. Located in Shahzadpur in the Rajshahi division, Rabindra Kachharibari is the ancestral home and revenue office of the Tagore family.
Many of Tagore's literary masterpieces were created while residing in this mansion.
Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha condemned the attack and vandalism of Tagore's ancestral home in Bangladesh, labeling it as an 'assault on our culture and heritage.'
He described the incident as a shameful act for the entire nation.
'Tagore is the architect of the national anthems of both India and Bangladesh,' Saha remarked in his Facebook post, calling for stringent punishment for the perpetrators of this shocking incident.
'The interim government of Bangladesh must take decisive action,' the Chief Minister urged.
BJP Tripura state president and Rajya Sabha member Rajib Bhattacharjee also condemned the vandalism of Tagore's residence in Bangladesh, characterizing the act as a blow to literature, culture, and humanism.
On June 12, India expressed strong condemnation of the vandalism at Tagore’s ancestral home in Bangladesh, describing it as part of a 'systematic' pattern by extremists aimed at undermining the country's syncretic cultural heritage.
The spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs, Randhir Jaiswal, labeled the June 8 attack on Rabindra Kachharibari as a 'despicable' act and 'a disgrace to the memory and the inclusive philosophy' of the Nobel Laureate.