Shobhajatra arson: Will the ‘fascist effigy’ be ready in a day?

“If we can remake the effigy, it will be part of the procession. If not, we will hold the procession without it,” says Prof Azharul Islam

Prof Azharul Islam, dean of the Dhaka University Faculty of Fine Arts, says he is unsure whether the “fascist effigy” prepared for the “Barshabaran Ananda Shobhajatra” will be ready in time for the parade on the Bengali New Year.

It may not be possible, but efforts are still ongoing, he said on Sunday morning.

Two of the motifs for the procession -- the “fascist effigy” and the “dove of peace” -- were burnt down in a fire at the Faculty of Fine Arts early on Saturday morning.

Police say it was set “intentionally”.

Cultural Affairs Advisor Mostofa Sarwar Farooki said in a post on Facebook that he believes the “accomplices of the ousted regime” were involved in the incident.

Asked about the effigy, Prof Azharul said: "We have started the work of remaking the effigies burnt in the fire. However, it does not seem possible to do it in a day. Let's see how much can be finished."

Questioned whether the burnt effigy would change the procession’s plans, he said: "The procession will proceed according to the previous plan.”

“If we can remake the effigy, it will be part of the procession. If not, we will hold the procession without it. We have other motifs and works of art. Those will be used.”

Organisers said on Friday that this year’s procession will feature large, medium and small motifs.

Six large motifs were to be part of the procession with “the face of fascism” effigy out in front. It featured a woman's face with bared teeth and horns on its head.

Israfil Ratan, an associate professor at the Faculty of Fine Arts, said that CCTV footage showed a young man climbing a wall and entering the Faculty of Fine Arts building, setting the fire, and then leaving the same way he entered in the span of a minute and a half.

"We saw one person in the CCTV footage. We caught him on two or three cameras. He was wearing a black T-shirt and had a mask on his face," he said.

The university authorities have formed a committee to investigate the incident with the Dean of the Faculty of Arts Prof Mohammad Siddiqur Rahman Khan as the convenor.

The pro-BNP teachers' organisation “Sada Dal” says the burning of the “face of fascism” and “dove of peace” motifs were premeditated.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Additional Commissioner (Crime and Operations) SN Md Nazrul Islam said, "At first glance, it seems that this is not accidental. Someone did this intentionally. We are sure of this much."

The Dhaka University authorities have filed a case with Shahbagh Police Station against unknown individuals from the Awami League and its associate organisations over the incident.

The case was filed on Saturday afternoon, said station chief Md Khalid Mansur.

"A case has been filed by the Dhaka University administration. We are working to identify the young suspect seen in the CCTV footage."

RAB Director General AKM Shahidur Rahman, who visited the Ramna Batamul on Sunday to inspect the security preparations for the Bengali New Year celebrations, said that an investigation is underway to determine whether there was any security lapse in the incident.