A sculpture titled the "Face of Fascism," created for the Mangal Shobhajatra (New Year's Festive Procession) at Dhaka University's Faculty of Fine Arts, was deliberately set on fire early Saturday morning. CCTV footage shows a masked individual carrying out the act.
Associate Professor Md. Israfill Ratan confirmed that the footage reveals a person wearing jeans and a black mask calmly igniting the structure. The suspect's identity remains unknown.
Dean of the Faculty, Professor Azharul Islam Chanchal, said the fire appeared to specifically target the fascist-themed face sculpture, which was completely destroyed. A dove-shaped element nearby was also burned. The incident occurred between approximately 4:00 am and 4:30 am.
A student of the faculty said the construction of the sculpture was nearly complete and was scheduled to be finished later that day. "This was clearly a deliberate act. It feels like a conspiracy," the student added. ''There must be an investigation into whether any members of the administration were involved, especially since police personnel were present at the site overnight."
The incident has raised serious concerns just ahead of the Bengali New Year celebrations, as the destroyed motif was meant to be a centerpiece of the traditional Shobhajatra.
