On June 8, 2025, a mob vandalised Rabindranath Tagore’s ancestral home, known as Rabindra Kacharibari, in Shahjadpur, Sirajganj district, Bangladesh. This historic site, now a memorial museum, holds immense cultural and literary significance, as Tagore wrote several of his renowned works there and it was built by his grandfather, Dwarkanath Tagore, in 1840.

The attack resulted in the ransacking of the museum’s auditorium, windows, doors, and furniture, and the museum director was assaulted during the incident. The violence reportedly stemmed from a dispute over a motorcycle parking fee between a visitor and museum staff, which escalated into a larger confrontation involving local residents and, allegedly, members of radical groups such as Jamaat-e-Islami and Hefazat-e-Islam.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) of India, through spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, strongly condemned the attack, describing it as a “disgrace to the memory and the inclusive philosophy and teachings” of the Nobel laureate. Jaiswal characterised the incident as part of a “broad pattern of systematic attempts by extremists to erase the symbols of tolerance and eviscerate the syncretic cultural legacy of Bangladesh”. He urged the interim Bangladeshi government to take strict action against the perpetrators and to prevent the recurrence of such incidents, which have become a “repetitive feature” in recent times.

The attack drew sharp criticism from political leaders and cultural figures in India. Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami labelled the incident “beyond vandalism,” calling it a “premeditated hate crime” and an assault on the “civilizational spirit and cultural heritage of Bharat.”

He highlighted the ongoing marginalisation of Hindu Bengalis in Bangladesh and called for international attention and action. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, in a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urged for a strong international protest to deter future attacks on monuments of cultural legacy, emphasising that the vandalised site is not just a house but a “towering fountain of creativity in our subcontinent”.

Bangladeshi authorities responded by temporarily closing the museum to visitors, deploying police to secure the premises, and forming a three-member committee to investigate the incident. A case was registered against 50–60 individuals, including 10 named accused. The situation remains under close surveillance by the Department of Archaeology, with a report on the incident expected within five working days.

The vandalism of Rabindranath Tagore’s ancestral home has been widely condemned as an attack not only on a physical heritage site but also on the ideals of inclusivity, tolerance, and cultural syncretism that Tagore represented. The incident has intensified calls from India for accountability, protection of cultural heritage, and international solidarity against such acts of intolerance and extremism.

Based On ANI Report