The New Nation - Internet Edition

The sculpture of White Storks at Motitjheel was
partially damaged by a group of Islamic activists on
Saturday night. NN photo

Students of the Institute of Fine Arts brought out a
procession on Dhaka University campus yesterday in protest
against the vandalism of the sculpture of White Storks at
Motijheel. FocusBangla

Staff Reporter

Police arrested ten Islamic activities after they vandalised a sculpture depicting a group of white storks, in a continuing campaign against statues and artworks in the city.

"We detained eight fanatics for damaging the sculptures at Motijheel around midnight on Saturday," police officer Fazlul Haq told reporters.

Witnesses said around 350 Ulema-e-Anjuman-e-Al-Baiyanat activists gathered around the sculptures with shovels and hammers, chanting slogans calling for the demolition of all stone works, consider to be idols, they say are forbidden by Islam. They tried to pull down the 41-foot high sculptures by putting ropes around the necks of the storks.

Unable to do this, the group attacked the base with hammers and other tools, the witnesses told reporters, before clashing with police trying to disperse them.

Wrapped in white cloth, the activists clashed with police when they tried to destroy another sculpture nearby in front of Mutual Trust Bank, recently inaugurated by the City Corporation.

Police joined by elite force RAB resorted to heavy baton charge on the activists leaving more about a dozen wounded.

Various militant groups, including the Al-Baiyanat, have been vandalising sculptures in Bangladesh in recent months.

They destroyed a huge statue of mystic poet Lalon Shah outside the Dhaka international airport in October, triggering a national protest.

SI of the Motijheel Police Station Nasiurzzaman filed two cases against the Al-Baiyanat activates.

DU Correspondent adds: A group of left leaning students of Dhaka University (DU) yesterday demonstrated on the DU campus to protest against the damage of a sculpture Balaka located at the Motijheel commercial area.

They blocked the campus road near Raju sculpture for one and half hour and took out a procession that paraded several streets on the campus.

A group of reportedly Islamist bigots early yesterday night damaged Balaka, police and witnesses said. The group also vandalised a baul monument in the airport crossing in the city on October 15.