A graffiti depicting Sheikh Hasina, labeled as 'Monument of Hate,' on a Metro pillar near Dhaka University's (DU) Teacher-Student Centre (TSC) was removed in the early hours on Sunday, sparking protests from students. The removal was reportedly authorised by the university's Proctor Saifuddin Ahmed.
Students gathered around the Raju Sculpture after noticing the graffiti's removal and staged a protest, which lasted from
around 2:30 am to 4:30 am, demanding the resignation of the Proctor. By the time the protest began, half of the graffiti had already been removed, and a new image of Sheikh Hasina had been painted in its place.
The incident quickly became a topic of heated discussion across Facebook groups, with students questioning the Proctor's awareness of the controversial label 'Monument of Hate.' In response to the protests, Proctor Saifuddin Ahmed arrived around 3:30 am and explained that images of Sheikh Mujib and Sheikh Hasina had been included in photographs of the university sent by intelligence agencies to the ministry. The ministry raised concerns about the presence of these images, and following instructions from a state officer, the Metro Rail had the graffiti removed.
This explanation sparked outrage among the students, who expressed their anger with slogans such as "Proctor, the guard of the autocrat," "Beware, agents of the murderer Hasina," and "Why erase the Monument of Hate? We demand an answer from the Proctor."
The Proctor acknowledged the uproar, stating, "We may have made a mistake" and offered to apologize publicly if necessary. He emphasized that the removal was not part of a conspiracy, but rather an unintentional mistake.
In an official statement later that day, the Proctor Office issued an emergency notification, clarifying that the graffiti would now be officially recognized as the 'Monument of Hate' by the university. The authorities stated they would preserve the symbol of student discontent for years to come. The Vice-Chancellor is expected to inaugurate the monument.
