Tagore graffiti defaced: Farooki warns the government

Amidst ongoing discussions and criticisms, filmmaker and former Cultural Affairs Advisor Mostofa Sarwar Farooki has emphasized the importance of reconstructing the country's political, economic, social, and cultural sectors. At the same time, he has urged an investigation into whether ulterior motives are at play behind certain recent events.

Farooki shared these thoughts in a Facebook post on Tuesday (October 13). He believes that while the public remains preoccupied with various issues, other parties might be actively working to implement their own agendas.

In his post, Farooki wrote, "Keep an eye out for anyone pulling strings from the shadows while keeping us busy with trivial chatter."

Citing several recent arrests—including that of a former army officer—both at the border and within the country, he noted that analyzing these events allows for certain inferences. He also called for an investigation into who orchestrated the defacing of two other figures alongside Rabindranath Tagore on the walls of the Shilpakala Academy, a task carried out through the Dhaka South City Corporation.

Farooki observed that while Rabindranath is celebrated at the government level in Bangladesh, he considers the connection with two of the other figures alongside him on the Shilpakala wall to be unusual. He questioned whose initiative this was and whether there was any specific underlying motive.

The former Cultural Affairs Advisor believes government intelligence agencies should look into this matter. He also commented on the actions of those currently preoccupied with the incident where ink was thrown at the mural.

Farooki further wrote, "What I mean to say is that the time has come for government agencies to understand who is making what move and where. The primary objective of these actions is to divert focus and keep us occupied with other discussions."

Towards the end of his post, Farooki highlighted the reconstruction of the country as the central topic of discussion. He believes it is essential to discuss rebuilding Bangladesh across all sectors—political, economic, social, and cultural.

- NS