Projonmo Chattar, the symbolic center of Bangladesh’s 2013 Shahbagh movement demanding justice for 1971 war crimes, has been partially demolished by the Housing and Public Works Ministry, sparking fresh controversy.

The structure, located in Shahbagh, Dhaka, was dismantled in the early hours of Sunday. Local media reports suggest that the removal is part of the Yunus-led interim government’s broader campaign to erase Liberation War-era landmarks. Shahbagh Police Station OC Khalid Mansur confirmed the demolition, stating that it was pre-authorized to avoid public unrest.

Projonmo Chattar had become a national emblem of justice and resistance, especially during the 2013 protests. The government has indicated that a new installation linked to upcoming July demonstrations will be constructed at the same location.

The move follows a disturbing pattern. In April, radicals destroyed the Martyred Intellectuals Memorial in Dhaka’s Mirpur area—an act that outraged citizens ahead of Pakistan Deputy PM Ishaq Dar’s visit. A video of that demolition went viral, prompting widespread condemnation.

Observers see these acts as attempts by the interim government to appease Pakistan, possibly at the expense of Bangladesh’s national identity. Experts argue that the removal of Liberation War monuments amounts to historical revisionism and dishonors the nation’s martyrs.

Earlier in March, the mural of the Liberation War Memorial Mancha in Lalmonirhat district was also demolished. It depicted key moments from the language movement to the Pakistani army’s surrender in 1971.

Since the fall of the Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League government in August 2024, nearly 1,500 Liberation War-related murals and sculptures have reportedly been vandalized or removed under Muhammad Yunus’s rule.