Backlash halts demolition of Bir Sreshtha Hamidur statue

Authorities have halted the demolition of an unfinished statue of Bir Sreshtha Hamidur Rahman in Jhenaidah following widespread public criticism.

Jhenaidah Deputy Commissioner Md Noman Hossain said on Monday that the statue would be rebuilt at a suitable location within the municipality.

"We will identify a convenient site and reconstruct the statue in the municipal area," he said.

The monument, honouring the Jhenaidah-born war hero who laid down his life in the Liberation War, was being built on a pedestal at the town's entrance but was never completed.

The project began in 2012 under then mayor and Awami League district general secretary Md Saidul Karim Mintu. It was estimated to cost Tk 3.2 million.

Construction started several years later. Some work was carried out in 2016 before the project stalled, leaving the statue unfinished and never inaugurated.

Following the fall of the Awami League government on Aug 5, 2024, hundreds of people attacked and vandalised the structure that afternoon. Workers resumed demolishing it on Wednesday, drawing fresh public attention and media coverage. Amid mounting criticism, the demolition was suspended on Sunday.
A local freedom fighter said veterans had urged the deputy commissioner to build a new statue of Hamidur in the town.

Deputy Director of the Local Government Division Rathindra Nath Roy said the deputy commissioner had already initiated the process
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