Legendary filmmaker Ritwik Ghatak’s ancestral house in BD’s Rajshahi razed a day after govt fell.

Cause: Hindu Property…

Padma Shri-Winning Filmmaker Ritwik Ghatak’s Ancestral Home Razed in Rajshahi, ‘Students’ Involved Say Authorities.

Prativa Poddar | HENB | Kolkata | Aug When Islamists are in action, there is no reason to restore Humanity and social harmony. It has been reflected in the upheavals in Bangladesh where the Islamist took over a control on a Students’ ‘anti-Quota’ protest indicating ‘reservations in Higher Government services’ and unleashed a brutal attacks unreasonably on the minority Hindus and others in an ulterior communal motivation.

Though attacks on minorities in Bangladesh are not reported fully, such cases come to light through the not-ignorable social media these days. The Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council (Bangladesh Hindu Bouddha Christian Oikya Parishad ) and Bangladesh Puja Udjapan Samity tried to present a calendar of communal violence against Hindus in Bangladesh from August 5-8, including targeted attacks, killings, vandalism, looting of homes and businesses, rape of women, arson in villages, and temple desecration across various regions. This list comprises more than 200 attacks in 52 districts in Bangladesh in last few days of turmoils in the country under Islamist control.

In that series, legendary filmmaker Ritwik Ghatak’s ancestral house in Bangladesh’s Rajshahi razed a day after govt fell. Cause: It was a Hindu Property. Nothing can be interpreted more than that. With other notable awards Ghatak won ‘Padma Shri’ in 1970.

The ancestral home of the renowned filmmaker Ritwik Ghatak, located in the Rajshahi district of Bangladesh, has been razed to the ground, leaving film lovers on both sides of the border dismayed and disheartened who mourn the loss of a significant cultural landmark and a piece of cinematic history.

Ritwik Ghatak, the celebrated filmmaker born in Dhaka, spent his formative years in Rajshahi, where his father served as the district magistrate. The family’s ancestral home in Mianpara had become a revered pilgrimage site for countless admirers from both India and Bangladesh. The property’s front section was occupied by the Rajshahi Homoeopathic Medical College, while the rear portion retained the original living quarters of Ghatak and his family. A humble hand pump on the premises stood as a nostalgic reminder of a bygone era, holding sentimental value for those who visited this sacred place.

The ancestral home of Ritwik Ghatak was reportedly razed to the ground on August 6, a day after former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina left the country, as violence and arson gripped the nation, plunging Bangladesh into chaos.

In 2017, the Ritwik Ghatak Film Society in Rajshahi had envisioned the ancestral home as a heritage site and proposed its conversion into a Ritwik Centre, where films could be screened, celebrating the legendary filmmaker’s legacy. Despite engaging with the government, the initiative unfortunately failed to materialize. Now, the entire property has been mercilessly demolished, erasing a significant piece of history. On Wednesday, we brought the matter to the attention of the district commissioner, who has formed a committee to identify the culprits within seven days,” said Mahmud Hossain Masud, general secretary of the film society.

Film scholar Sanjay Mukhopadhay, who visited the house in 2002, reminisced, “The house sprawled across five bighas of land and boasted a rich history. Rabindranath Tagore, Ustad Ali Akbar Khan, and Ustad Bahadur Khan were among the notable visitors to this iconic residence. In other countries, such homes are cherished as tourist destinations due to their immense heritage value. With its demolition, we have lost a precious slice of our cultural heritage.

In a report, it is  said that Ghatak’s ancestral home in Rajshahi’s Mianpara was razed with a pile of bricks lying in the historic location.

According to the report, the Rajshahi Homoeopathic Medical College authorities ordered the demolition of the historic structure, sparking a heated exchange between the college administration and the local cinema community. The authorities have requested a week’s time to investigate the matter, but filmmaker Mohammad Tawkir Islam Saik has demanded a full-fledged probe, stating, “We will not accept it at all.”

The report cites the contractor, Shamim Mia, who claimed that college authorities instructed him to raze the building. However, the college authorities have shifted the blame to former students, alleging that they hired laborers to demolish the historic landmark.

It appears that a group of student protesters had gathered at the site on August 5 and 6, demanding the removal of posters and murals of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. After taking down the murals, they allegedly began calling for the house to be demolished, but left the scene shortly after. Anisur Rahman, the vice-chancellor of the college, claimed that students paid laborers to start the demolition process last week.

Contractor Shamim Mia provided a conflicting account, stating that he was instructed by college authorities to raze the structure after students broke a part of the wall on August 5. He claimed to have carried out the demolition with a few workers.

The contradictory statements have added to the confusion surrounding the demolition of the historic house, leaving many questions unanswered.

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