Structure or sculpture?

A mobile court of Chittagong City Corporation (CCC) dismantled an under-construction structure at Jahur Hawkers' Market in the port city yesterday afternoon.

The leaders of Jahur Hawkers' Market Traders' Association alleged that the CCC mobile court “dismantled” under-construction sculptures of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, former CCC mayor ABM Mohiuddin Chowdhury and late Awami League leader Jahur Ahmed Chowdhury.

Fazlul Amin, organising secretary of the association, said they were constructing sculptures of the three leaders in an open space at the entrance of the market. The work was “almost completed”, he claimed.

“Around 1:30pm, a CCC mobile court started to dismantle the sculptures saying that we did not take permission from the CCC,” he alleged. “Why would we need permission? The market is not on CCC land,” he claimed.

Meanwhile, Special Magistrate Jahanara Ferdous, who led the drive, said a flat slab was being built over a drain along with a wall beside it. There were “no under-construction sculptures”, she added.

“They just wanted to grab the drain and its adjoining area. So they constructed the 'structures' there,” she said. “The mobile court dismantled those.”

Asked, the magistrate said, “Bangabandhu is a great leader. His sculpture should be built in a clean and better place. If they were planning to build his sculpture over the drain, it was not a good decision.”

However, while visiting the spot, this correspondent found a piece of a sculpture, shaped like a person's face, among the debris of the structure dismantled by the court.

The special magistrate said, “The piece was not there when the court was conducting the drive.”