Strongly condemn the despicable act: India on vandalisation of Tagore’s ancestral home in Bangladesh

India on Thursday strongly condemned the vandalisation of the ancestral home of Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore in Bangladesh by a mob and termed the violent attack a “disgrace” to the memory and inclusive philosophy espoused by the poet.

MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said this in response to a query on the reports on the vandalisation that took place earlier this month.

He also urged the interim government in Bangladesh to rein in these elements and take “strict action” against the perpetrators to prevent reoccurrence of such incidents.

Kachharibari is the ancestral home and revenue office of the Tagore family located in Sirajganj district. Tagore created many of his literary works while living in this mansion.

“We strongly condemn the despicable act, attack and vandalisation of the ancestral home of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore by a mob,” the MEA spokesperson said.

“The violent attack is a disgrace to the memory and the inclusive philosophy, teachings that the Nobel Laureate espoused,” he said.

He said the attack falls in the “broad pattern of systematic attempts by extremists to erase the symbols of tolerance and eviscerate the syncretic cultural legacy of Bangladesh”.

The MEA spokesperson further said, India urges the interim government to “take strict action against the perpetrators to prevent reoccurrence of such incidents that sadly have become a repetitive feature”.

After the vandalisation, authorities had constitute a three-member committee to investigate the incident, according to media reports in Bangladesh on Wednesday.