Tagore portrait vandalism: Lawyers clash during Ayas’ bail hearing, judge leaves courtroom

A heated exchange of words and a physical altercation broke out between lawyers and the prosecution over the bail petitions of two accused, including Al-Nur Mohammad Ayas, in the case over defacing a portrait of Rabindranath Tagore during a hearing on Wednesday.

At one point during the proceedings at the Dhaka Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court, the judge was forced to leave the courtroom and retreat to his chambers.

The fracas began soon after Magistrate Md Riad Hasan took his seat and began the bail hearings for the two accused, including Ayas, member-secretary of Rashtra Sanglap Forum.

At the outset, defence lawyer Monir Hossain presented his arguments, saying the case was politically motivated and that accused Ayas was ill, while the other accused, Marzia Khandaker, had a young child.

“The accused were essentially protesting against Indian aggression,” he said.

Strongly opposing this, prosecution lawyer Omar Faruk said, “The main purpose of smearing ink on Rabindranath Tagore’s portrait was to provoke and destabilise the situation. The accused have been making hateful statements continuously.”

At one point in his remarks, he commented on the political identities of those present in the courtroom, triggering a major commotion.

Immediately afterwards, lawyers from both sides became involved in a physical altercation.

Amid the chasing and counter-chasing, the buttons on defence lawyer Al Mohsin Touhid’s shirt were torn off, and the situation spiralled out of control inside the courtroom.

Witnessing the lawyers’ aggressive behaviour and the intense commotion, the judge immediately left the courtroom at 4:37pm and entered his chambers.

Later, after senior lawyers intervened and the situation calmed somewhat, the judge returned to the courtroom at 4:42pm, rejected the accused’s bail petitions and ordered them to be sent to jail.

On Saturday, several people, including Ayas, went to deface a Tagore graffiti portrait in front of the Shilpakala Academy in the capital’s Segunbagicha.

The portraits of 10 eminent figures who made significant contributions to the country’s art, literature and culture—including Shilpacharya Zainul Abedin, Satyajit Ray, Rabindranath Tagore and Kazi Nazrul Islam—had been painted on a wall along a footpath by Dhaka South City Corporation (DSCC).

On the same day, four people, including Ayas, were detained over the matter.