The Jhenaidah district administration has decided to reconstruct the unfinished sculpture of Birsreshtha Hamidur Rahman and install a new, full-scale replacement before Victory Day on 16 December.
A proposed 14-member committee has also been formed to identify a suitable location, prepare the design and oversee implementation of the project, Deputy Commissioner (DC) Md Noman Hossain announced at a preparatory meeting held at his office on Wednesday.
The meeting was attended by freedom fighters, members of Hamidur Rahman’s family, journalists, and representatives of political and social organisations.
According to the district administration, the committee will include the deputy commissioner, superintendent of police, district council administrator, deputy director of the Local Government Division, municipal administrator, executive engineer of the Roads and Highways Department, representatives of the district freedom fighters’ command council, members of Birsreshtha Hamidur Rahman’s family, journalists, and representatives of political and civil society organisations.
Addressing the meeting, Hamidur Rahman’s nephew Md Hafizur Rahman expressed disappointment over the condition and attempted removal of the monument.
He said the foundation stone of the sculpture was laid on 26 March, 2019, on a traffic island along the Jhenaidah-Dhaka Highway, with members of the martyr’s family attending the ceremony.
“Recently, we came to know through newspapers that the sculpture was being demolished. Neither the administration nor the municipality informed us about it,” he said.
“Birsreshtha Hamidur Rahman is a source of pride for our family, Jhenaidah and the nation. We cannot accept the removal of a sculpture built in his honour,” he added, urging authorities to rebuild a complete sculpture at the same location or another appropriate site.
Executive Engineer of the Roads and Highways Department Md Hafizur Rahman said the existing site now falls within a World Bank-funded road development project.
Md Nilon Ali, sub-assistant engineer of the Jashore-Jhenaidah six-lane highway project, said a major intersection would be constructed at the location under the project’s design, making it impractical to retain a sculpture at the centre of the roadway.
District Council Administrator MA Majid said Birsreshtha Hamidur Rahman remains one of the nation’s greatest war heroes and alleged that the previous project had been left incomplete due to irregularities in its implementation.
He said the unfinished structure had remained neglected for years and failed to serve its intended purpose.
Joint Convener of the District Freedom Fighters Command Council freedom fighter Md Kamal Uddin said many residents were unaware that the incomplete structure represented Birsreshtha Hamidur Rahman because it had never been properly completed.
He said freedom fighters intervened after learning that the sculpture was being dismantled, prompting the district administration to suspend the removal work.
“We want a dignified, full-scale sculpture at a suitable location where people can safely pay tribute to Birsreshtha Hamidur Rahman,” he said.
In his closing remarks, Deputy Commissioner Noman Hossain said the administration was committed to restoring the dignity of the national hero through a permanent memorial.
“Our target is to inaugurate the new sculpture on Victory Day. The committee will promptly identify a suitable site and submit its recommendations so that construction can begin without delay,” he said.
Among others, the meeting was attended by Superintendent of Police Mia Mohammad Ashish Bin Hasan, Jhenaidah BNP General Secretary Zahiduzzaman Mona, Jhenaidah Press Club President Asif Iqbal Makhon, Press Club General Secretary Aminul Islam Liton, Jamaat-e-Islami district secretary Abdul Awal, leaders of BASAD, the Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB), Gono Odhikar Parishad, and representatives of freedom fighters and various social and political organisations.
