Published : 20 Dec 2025, 10:04 AM
Updated : 21 Aug 2026, 02:54 PM
Afroditi Akira, a student of Nalonda High School, has been inconsolable since learning about the attack on her school.
Tears have not ceased, as she struggles to understand why her place of learning was set ablaze.
In a video message addressed to the interim government, the student asks for answers.
The video, shared on Facebook by her father Banti Afzal on Friday, captures her plea for justice.
“I am a student of Nalonda High School. Why is my school being burnt? Why is it being vandalised? Why are my books, drawings, and musical instruments destroyed? In this free country, why am I not safe? I want answers from Muhammad Yunus. We are small now, unable to act, but when we grow up, we will never forget this pain,” she says in the video.
Afzal told bdnews24.com, “Ever since the attack on Chhayanaut Cultural Centre, my daughter has been crying incessantly. She told me ‘Father, I want to post a video on Facebook’. I did not stop her. I want her protest to remain. The government must answer why my daughter’s school was attacked.”
In response to the Chhayanaut incident, students, alumni, parents, and cultural activists gathered on Friday afternoon outside the centre to protest through song.
Several songs, including the national anthem, were performed collectively.
Earlier, at 2:30pm, Cultural Affairs Advisor Mostofa Sarwar Farooki visited Chhayanaut, a cultural institution dedicated to nurturing Bengali heritage.
He said, “Everyone involved in the attack and looting at Chhayanaut will be identified through CCTV footage, and appropriate action will be taken.
“I have instructed the authorities to assess the damage and complete all restoration work quickly so the institution can reopen. The government will provide all necessary support, including financial aid.”
The advisor met organisers, including Partha Tanvir Naved, and several Chhayanaut officials.
Security at the centre has been ramped up, with police and border guards stationed outside.
On Friday evening, Chhayanaut issued a statement reaffirming its unwavering commitment to preserving and promoting Bengali music and culture.
“Chhayanaut is a voluntary and self-reliant cultural institution. Chhayanaut does not accept donations from any government, foreign organisation or corporate entity. Therefore, Chhayanaut will overcome this crisis by drawing strength from its own resources. It is determined to swiftly remedy this temporary disruption to music and children’s education,” the statement read.
“Chhayanaut’s work is not political. Through music and cultural practice, it preserves and nurtures Bengali identity.”
Following news of Sharif Osman Hadi’s death while undergoing treatment in Singapore, protests erupted across Dhaka’s Shahbagh and other parts of the country.
Around 1am on Friday, a group of demonstrators gathered outside Chhayanaut in Dhanmondi.
Videos of the attack show protesters entering the historic building in groups, vandalising the premises, toppling nameboards, and breaking furniture and musical instruments on the lower floors.
