Students at Dhaka University are protesting after graffiti of Sheikh Hasina was erased from a metro pillar near the Teacher-Student Center (TSC) in the early hours of December 30, 2024.
The graffiti, which had been painted on the pillar, was known as the "Monument of Hatred" by students.
When news of its removal spread, students quickly gathered at the Rajju Sculpture near TSC, demanding answers and holding protests.
The situation became tense when students learned that the removal of the graffiti had been approved by the university’s Proctor, Saifuddin Ahmed.
Upset by this, the students started chanting slogans and calling for the Proctor’s resignation.
The protests began around 2:30 am on Sunday and continued until about 4:30 am.
By the time students arrived, half of the graffiti had already been wiped off, but another image of Sheikh Hasina was painted over the space where the original graffiti had been.
In response to the growing protests, students asked for the Proctor to come to the scene.
He arrived at 3:30 am, where he explained that the images of Sheikh Hasina and Sheikh Mujibur Rahman had been sent to the Ministry by intelligence agencies.
The Ministry questioned why these images were still displayed, prompting the Proctor to contact the university`s State Officer, who then instructed Metro Rail officials to remove the graffiti.
However, this explanation only angered the students further. They questioned whether the Proctor knew that the graffiti was part of the "Monument of Hatred."
Students then began chanting slogans, including: "Wow, Proctor, wonderful, the guard of the autocrat," "Watch out, agents of murderer Hasina," "Fire has been set, blood has been spilled," "Who erased the murderer’s picture? They are accomplices of autocracy," "We won’t let the spirit of July go in vain," and "Why was the Monument of Hatred erased? Proctor, we want answers."
The students demanded that both Proctor Saifuddin Ahmed and State Officer Fatema Binte Mostafa resign for their roles in the incident.
In response, Proctor Saifuddin Ahmed admitted that the mistake could have been theirs. "We could have made a mistake," he said.
He added that if necessary, he would issue a public apology to the students. However, he emphasized that it was not a conspiracy but just an error.
In an interview later with Prothom Alo, Proctor Saifuddin Ahmed confirmed that the graffiti would be officially recognized as the "Monument of Hatred" by the university.
He mentioned that the Vice-Chancellor would soon inaugurate it and that the university would preserve all forms of graffiti.
He also warned that legal action would be taken against anyone who attempted to erase the graffiti again.
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