Dhaka – Statue of Khasi freedom fighter Tirot Singh Syiem, desecrated by radicals

Guwahati, Assam.

The statue of freedom fighter of undivided Bharat U Tirot Sing Syiem at the Indian Cultural Centre in Dhaka, Bangladesh, was destroyed by radicals on August 6. Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma has strongly condemned this action. The shrine to the famed Khasi Hills freedom fighter was desecrated during the current upheaval in the nation which led to attack on Hindu community and especially temples and business belonging to the minority community.

CM Sangma said in a tweet – “I vehemently denounce the vandalism of the bust of U Tirot Sing Syiem, the courageous Khasi Hills native and Meghalayan freedom warrior, at the Indian Cultural Center in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Ask local authorities to come up with strict ways to stop the situation from getting worse”.

The Bharatiya government provided funding for the statue, which was unveiled on February 16 only six months ago, in recognition of Syiem’s services to the independence fight. During colonial rule, Syiem, a well-respected chieftain from Hima Nongkhlaw, had been imprisoned in Dhaka.

https://x.com/SangmaConrad/status/1820855513443361138

According to media reports, the cultural centre sustained major damage as a result of severe civil disturbance in Bangladesh, including the total destruction of the recently constructed statue. Concerns have been raised by the occurrence regarding the region’s historical people and cultural icons’ preservation.

It should be mentioned that the political turmoil in Bangladesh leads to large scale attacks on Hindu community and the temples in the neighbouring country. Many temples were attacked by Islamist radicals including ISKCON temple in Noakhali. Large numbers of Hindu population were forced to flee the violence hit country to save their lives. The radical Islamist are targeting Bharat funded projects including medical infrastructures in Bangladesh, videos of which went viral in the social media.