Friday | 10 January 2025 | Reg No- 06
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Friday | 10 January 2025 | Epaper

Ritwik Ghatak’s ancestral home demolished by mob in Rajshahi

Published : Friday, 16 August, 2024 at 12:00 AM  Count : 2206
Rafiqul Hasan Firoz
 
Some unidentified miscreants demolished the ancestral home of renowned filmmaker Ritwik Kumar Ghatak, a pioneering figure in Bengali cinema, in Miya Para of Rajshahi city following the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government on August 5.

Rtiwik spent his childhood, adolescence, and youth in this home.
Despite efforts to preserve the house, it was attempted to demolish the home earlier for several times. But this time, it has turned into rubble, angering cultural activists across the country.

Ritwik Ghatak studied at Rajshahi Collegiate School and Rajshahi College, staying at the home. During that period, literary and theatrical movements in Rajshahi had gained momentum around him. 

After his family moved to Kolkata, the then Ershad government leased 34-decimal of the land of this house to the Rajshahi Homeopathic Medical College in 1989.

Subsequently, a modern building for the Homeopathic Medical College was constructed to the north of the site. The southern part of this building still housed the old rooms of Ritwik Ghatak's memory-laden home. 

However, socio-cultural activists alleged Principal of the Rajshahi Homeopathic Medical College Anisur Rahman to have instructed to demolish the old structures.

Cultural activists claimed that the college authorities had previously attempted to demolish the ancestral home to use the land for other purposes, but they had been stopped repeatedly.

In 2020, when news spread that the college authorities were planning to demolish Ritwik Ghatak's ancestral home to build a bicycle garage, protests erupted nationwide.

Ritwik Ghatak Film Society, Rajshahi Film Society, Rajshahi University Film Society, and Barendra Film Society held a human chain.

Filmmakers issued statements in protest against the demolition of Ritwik Ghatak's ancestral home.
Following this, the Ministry of Culture took steps to preserve the house. 

The ministry sought opinion of the district administration and forms a committee to determine necessary actions at that time. 

The district administration had decided to preserve the old house in its previous condition. However, on August 6 and 7, the house was demolished.

When this news spread, cultural workers from Rajshahi visited the house with documents showing the decision to preserve it. During this visit, when the college authorities mistreated them, a commotion ensued. Later, the cultural workers went to the district commissioner's office.

Before this, they told reporters that if the principal was responsible for the demolition, he should resign.

Denying the allegation, Principal Anisur Rahman said that some students came and started demolishing the house on August 6 and he could recognise some of them. The Principal denied allegations of the college's involvement in the demolition.

Cultural activist Annaba Kabir protested against the principal's statement, saying that the principal is now shifting the blame onto students. 

"If students had been involved, they would have also vandalised the new building. Yet, not a single window pane in the new building was broken, while the entire house of Ritwik Ghatak was demolished.
How is this possible? If students were involved, everything would have been vandalised," Annaba said.
When contacted, District Commissioner Shamim Ahmed said, "I heard about the demolition of Ritwik Ghatak's ancestral home. Cultural activists had come to me. I have asked the additional district commissioner (education and ICT) to investigate and submit a report within seven days. Necessary actions will be taken against those responsible for the demolition. The remaining parts of the house will be preserved."



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