Overview
- Locals discovered the Tagore portrait on the Khulna Railway Station boundary wall Friday morning after it had been smeared with black ink and two posters were placed beside it rejecting Tagore's place in local culture.
- Khulna Sadar Police said they received information Friday afternoon and launched an investigation, with Officer-in-Charge Lokman Hossain confirming the inquiry is under way.
- Murals of other figures on the same wall — including Fakir Lalon Shah, SM Sultan, Kazi Nazrul Islam, Khaleda Zia, Ziaur Rahman and Michael Madhusudan Dutt — were left untouched, which observers say suggests selective targeting.
- Cultural activists publicly condemned the act and warned it may form part of a repeat pattern after an October Dhaka defacement that led police to detain four people, including Al Nur Mohammad Ayash.
- Tagore is widely seen as a symbol of shared Bengali secular culture, and activists and officials say the incident could heighten tensions around public art projects and that investigators, local authorities and residents will be watching for further similar attacks or arrests.