Congress MP Shashi Tharoor recently alleged that statues at a memorial complex in Mujibnagar, Bangladesh, depicting the surrender of Pakistani soldiers to the Indian Army in the 1971 Liberation War, were “destroyed” by “anti-India vandals.” However, is this claim accurate?
Sad to see images like this of statues at the 1971 Shaheed Memorial Complex, Mujibnagar, destroyed by anti-India vandals. This follows disgraceful attacks on the Indian cultural centre, temples and Hindu homes in several places, even as reports came in of Muslim civilians… pic.twitter.com/FFrftoA81T
— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) August 12, 2024
Tharoor’s Tweet and Its Implications
In a post on X, Tharoor shared images of what he claimed to be vandalised statues from the 1971 Shaheed Memorial Complex in Mujibnagar. He expressed concern over the destruction of the statues, linking it to broader anti-India sentiments in Bangladesh. Tharoor called on the interim government, led by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus, to take urgent steps to restore law and order.
However, the veracity of Tharoor’s claim has been questioned. An X user, Neeraj Rajput, disputed the reports of vandalism, describing them as a “fake narrative.” Rajput pointed out that the statues in question were not destroyed but rather depict figures lying on the ground as part of the memorial’s design. He supported his claim with images from his 2018 visit to the Mujibnagar memorial, showing the same statues in similar positions.
The Importance of the Statue and Mujibnagar Memorial
The statues in Mujibnagar hold significant historical value. One of the images shared by Tharoor depicts the signing of the ‘Instrument of Surrender’ by Pakistan Army Major-General Amir Abdullah Khan Niazi to the Indian Army and Bangladesh’s Mukti Bahini (freedom fighters). This moment marked the end of the 1971 war, leading to the creation of Bangladesh.
Mujibnagar is a crucial site in Bangladesh’s history, as it was where the provisional government of independent Bangladesh was sworn in during the Liberation War. The Mujibnagar Smriti Soudha memorial complex, spread over 20.10 acres, commemorates this pivotal event.
