Two ‘confess’ to defacing Bangabandhu sculpture

A Kushtia court ordered two madrasa students accused of vandalising a sculpture of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman to be sent to jail after recording their statements under section-164 yesterday evening.

Accused Abu Bakr Mithun, 18, and Nahid, 20, are students of Ibne Masud (R) Madrasa in Jugia area of Kushtia town.

A senior judicial magistrate recorded their statements after a Kushtia Model Police Station inspector placed the accused before the court around 4:00pm on completion of their five-day remand.

On Saturday, two other accused in the case, teachers of the madrasa Al-Amin and Yusuf, made confessional statements under section-164. They too are in jail now.

A source in Kushtia police, who was present in the court, said the accused students confessed before the court. During interrogation, the two claimed that they had been inspired by the anti-sculpture statements of Maulana Mamunul Haque and Maulana Faizul Haque.

Kushtia Superintendent of Police SM Tanvir Arafath told The Daily Star yesterday evening that they would further investigate before deciding whether to accuse Maulana Mamunul and Maulana Faizul in the case.

Vandals defaced an under-construction sculpture of Bangabandhu in Kushtia town in the early hour of December 5.