Tension over ‘hate pillar’ graffiti removal in DU

The graffiti of ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on a pillar near the Dhaka University (DU) Student-Teacher Center (TSC), close to the metro station, became a symbol of anger and resistance after August 5. On September 28, members of the left-wing student organization Chhatra Union installed a plaque to preserve the graffiti, referring to it as an “anti-fascist hate pillar.” Over time, students expressed their outrage about the graffiti through acts like throwing shoes and painting the pillar with red paint, symbolizing their strong disapproval.

On the night of December 29, around 2:30 am, students gathered in protest after discovering that an attempt had been made to erase the graffiti. The students voiced their anger, demanding the resignation of the university’s proctor. The university’s proctorial office later expressed regret in a press release, admitting the mistake and offering an apology.

The statement from the proctorial office read: “We deeply regret the attempt to remove the graffiti of Sheikh Mujib and dictator Sheikh Hasina from the two pillars behind the Raju Sculpture of Dhaka University. These pieces of graffiti represent revolution, resistance, and the destruction of fascism. It is our responsibility to preserve this memory for future generations. This was an inadvertent error by the proctorial team, and we sincerely apologize. We promise to be more careful in the future.”

The release also stated that the graffiti was quickly restored by students, who had painted over it that same night in the presence of the proctorial team. The university authorities would officially recognize the pillar as a “hate pillar” and take responsibility for preserving it as a symbol of the students’ resistance to fascism.

Eyewitnesses reported that the graffiti was being removed at around 2 am on Saturday. When the students learned of this, they protested fiercely. One of the Metrorail officials, Yusuf Ahmed, told the students that the university administration’s permission was needed for the removal. As students gathered, chanting slogans like, “Wow, the proctor is wonderful, the guardian of dictatorship,” and “Why did you erase the pillar of hatred? The proctor needs to answer,” the protests continued until 4 am.

Around 3:30 am, University Proctor Associate Professor Saifuddin Ahmed arrived at the scene and apologized to the students. He explained that when the intelligence agency had sent photos of the university to the ministry, the images of Sheikh Mujib and Sheikh Hasina were questioned. This led to the Metrorail authorities being instructed to remove them. The proctor’s apology, however, did little to calm the students’ anger.

In addition to members of the anti-discrimination student movement, many ordinary students and people from various professions joined the protests. That same night, the graffiti was restored, this time with the involvement of Mridha Ryan and Rishi, students from the Fine Arts Faculty of the DU Students’ Union.

While the government has not officially commented on the removal of the graffiti, Deputy Press Secretary of the Chief Adviser, Abul Kalam Azad Majumder, announced that the graffiti would be preserved. He confirmed during a press conference that both the Dhaka University graffiti and Sheikh Hasina’s graffiti would be maintained as a “pillar of hatred,” symbolizing the students’ opposition to fascism. He also stated that the government was not aware of the graffiti’s removal.

This ongoing situation reflects the deep political tensions and generational struggles within Bangladesh’s student movements, as well as the larger societal debates about memory, power, and resistance.