Bangabandhu SculpturePolice to seek 7-day remand for ‘vandals’

Police are set to request a 7-day remand to grill four people who were arresteed on Sunday for vandalising the under-construction sculpture of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on Friday night in Kushtia.

"We will be seeking seven days to question the arrestees in custody," said a senior police official.

The accused will be produced before a Dhaka court on Monday, he said.

Police arrested Md Al Amin, 27, teacher of a local madrasa and son of Abdur Rahman of Dhuboil village in Kushtia’s Mirpur; Md Yousuf Ali, 26, teacher and son of Azizul Mandal of Diar Bamundi area of Pabna’s Aminpur; Abu Bakar alias Mithun, 19, student of Hifz department and son of Shamsher Mridha of Singpur village in Kushtia’s Mirpur and Sabuj Islam Nahid, 20, son of Shamsul Alam of Philipnagar area of Kushtia’s Daulatpur on Sunday.

Police say two of the arrestees were the perpetrators of the heinous act who have been identified after scrutinising the CCTV footage.

In the surveillance video, the two madrasa students, clad in panjabis and caps, were seen walking towards the under-construction sculpture and climbing up a ladder around 2am on Saturday before smashing it with hammers.

Police first arrested Abu Bakar and Nahid and later picked up Alamin and Yusuf based on information gleaned from the former duo.

Miscreants vandalised portions of the face and hands of the under-construction sculpture of Bangabandhu in the district town of Kushtia in the early hours of Saturday.