Portraits of Mamata, Abhishek Banerjee hang in Tagore’s ancestral home: HC orders action

Kolkata, Nov 11: A section of Jorasanko Thakurbari which is the ancestral home of Rabindranath Tagore has been illegally remodelled into the office of Trinamool Shikshabandhu Samiti.

The walls of the Maharishi Bhawan has been painted green in colour and the shade of the doors, windows and floors have been tampered with by the workers of the ruling party.

Reports said that Bankim Chandra Chatterjee, and Tagore met for the first time in the said room. Today the walls have pictures of Mamata Banerjee and her nephew Abhishek Banerjee. There is a small portrait of Tagore which is placed in the middle.

Subodh Dutta Chowdhury, the unit president of the Trinamool Shikshabandhu Samiti has defended the move. He told Anandbazar Patrika that they just wanted a place for the members to sit.

"I have written permission from the secretary of the university. No additional construction was done. The room was just cleaned," he said while adding that the room had also been used as a Union office during the Left rule in the state.

Rabindranath Tagore is above our head and Mamata is in our heart, he said.

PIL filed:

In this backdrop a public interest litigation was filed in the Calcutta High Court by a petitioner named Swadesh Majumdar.

"The room in which Rabindranath Tagore and Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay interacted for the first time has been remodelled completely. Now pictures of Mamata Banerjee and Abhishek Banerjee are hanging on the wall," the PIL said.

The Maharshi Bhawan is part of the building where Rabindranath Tagore spent his childhood. It has been illegally occupied by an office of the varsity workers' wing run by the ruling TMC, the PIL also said.

The Bench comprising Chief Justice Prakash Shrivastava and Justice R Bharadwaj issued directions to protect the heritage and stop it from being tampered with.

A TV9Bangla report said that the banner of the 'Trinamool Shikshabandhu Samiti,' has been removed following the court order. However the congregation of the party-affiliated workers did not stop despite the order of the court.

"The act by Trinamool Shikshabandhu Samiti is highly condemnable. Now, the HC has intervened. We noticed this two-three months ago. I tried to stop this, but I was told the people who could be involved were the supporters of the ruling party."Vice-Chancellor of the Rabindra Bharati University, Sabyasachi Basu Roy Chowdhury said while denying reports that permission had been granted.

He lamented that despite directions to the contrary nothing was done due to political pressure. Several officials and I were under pressure and it was difficult for us he added.

BJP lashes out, TMC distances:

BJP leader Agnimitra Paul hit out at the ruling dispensation in the state. "Mamata Banerjee's workers have not only created an office in Jorasanko Thakurbari but also changed the colour of the wall, broke the rooms & hung pictures of CM," she said in a tweet.

"How can you touch a Heritage Building mam? Kobi Guru is our sentiment, love, life. Do not dare play with it!!!" she also said.

The TMC on the other hand distanced itself from the controversy and said that it has no association with the Shikshabandhu Samiti.

Our party doesn't have any association with any organisation named Sara Bangla Trinamool Sikha Bandhu Samiti. Our party will take the necessary action against it," TMC MLA, Santanu Sen said.