School at Historic Building in Ctg: HC orders halt of demolition

The High Court yesterday issued a status quo order for a month on demolition of Shishubagh School building, a historical structure carrying memories of anti-British movements at Chattogram's Rahmatganj. 

The HC also issued a rule, asking authorities concerned of the government to explain why their failure to protect the structure should not be declared illegal. In the rule, the court also asked the government to show causes as to why it should not be directed to protect and preserve the structure as a heritage property.

The HC bench of Justice JBM Hassan and Justice Md Khairul Alam came up with the order and rule, after hearing a writ petition filed by Supreme Court lawyer Masud Alam Chowdhury, seeking necessary directives to protect the building.

Khairul submitted the petition as a public interest litigation to the HC, following a report published in the Bangla daily Azadi on January 4 about the demolition of Shishubagh School, where around 500 students from play-group to fifth-grade study under 20 teachers.

The building was established by Barrister Jatindra Mohan Sengupta, then leader of Congress and anti-British movements, around 250 years back, and it was turned to Shishubagh School in 1970, petitioner's lawyer Hassan MS Azim told The Daily Star.

Deputy Attorney General Tushar Kanti Roy, who represented the state, told this correspondent that M Farid Chowdhury, a local influential man, and his men bulldozed a part of the historical structure on January 4, after obtaining a decree from the lower court over the building's ownership.

Hindu Buddhist Christian Oikya Parishad leader Rana Dasgupta and others prevented them from demolishing the building, and it cannot be demolished following the HC order, he said.

Meanwhile, Rana, also a prosecutor of International Crimes Tribunal, yesterday submitted a memorandum to the administrator of Chattogram City Corporation (CCC), seeking his cooperation for urging the government to take steps to turn Jatindra Mohan Sengupta's house into a museum.

Poet and journalist Abul Momen was with him among others at that time, Rana said.

"We submitted the memorandum to CCC Administrator Khorshed Alam Sujan…to turn the house into a museum, as per Ministry of Cultural Affairs' decision on July 9, 2018, and declare the house and surroundings as a heritage site, as per Antiquities Act and Article 24 of the Constitution," he said.

Rana said the administrator expressed solidarity with the demand and assured them of all out cooperation, adding, "The administrator said he would send a demi official letter to the government tomorrow."

The Daily Star talked to Farhad Chowdhury, elder son of M Farid Chowdhury, who went to demolish the house on Monday, after obtaining a court order.

Asked, Farhad said they were termed as land grabbers by some media organisations, but they did not go to grab any land.

"We got court order over the land's ownership, and the court ordered government officials concerned and police to help us get the property. We went there after a long legal battle," he said. "So, how can they call us land grabbers?"

Asked, Farhad said his father had an agreement with Milan Sen, the property's inheritor, to buy the land in 1980, but Milan was "dillydallying" to provide registration, and so, his father filed a case in 2005.

"We got a decree in 2009, where the court ordered Milan to give us registration, but Milan still did not do so, and so, we filed a case for the ownership paper and got a decree in 2018," he said. "Then we prayed to the court to get possession and got the decree in December 2020."

Asked, Rana said the entire property of Jatra Mohan Sen and his son Jatindra Mohan Sengupta was turned into vested property, and Chattogram District Administration is its custodian.

The property was leased to a person who has been running a school there. Keeping both the government and school management in the dark, Farid filed a case with the court, using fake documents, he said.

Denying the allegation, Farhad said all their documents were genuine. "As of now, we are the property's owners, and we must be compensated, if the government wants to build a museum there."