Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], June 16 (ANI): The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers in Kolkata staged a rally from Sealdah Railway Station to the Deputy High Commission of Bangladesh there on Monday, protesting the vandalism of Nobel Laureate Rabindranath Tagore's ancestral home in Bangladesh.

The demonstration, led by prominent BJP leaders including Agnimitra Paul and Locket Chatterjee, highlighted the growing concerns over the safety of minorities and the cultural heritage shared between India and Bangladesh.

The rally saw participants demanding accountability from the interim government of Bangladesh, led by Muhammad Yunus, over the incident.

Following their meeting at the Deputy High Commission, BJP leader Locket Chatterjee, who was part of the delegation that met the officials, emphasised the cultural significance of Tagore across borders and slammed the Yunus government in Bangladesh, accusing them of erasing Tagore's symbol as they vandalised his ancestral home there.

'Be it India's West Bengal or Bangladesh, Rabindranath Tagore lives in everyone. The interim (Bangladesh) government is trying to erase all of his symbols, and his ancestral home was also vandalised, and the Deputy High Commission was ashamed of it,' Chatterjee said.

She added that the officials assured them of conveying the message to Bangladesh, enquiring if an investigation had been initiated.

'They will send a message to the country and ask if an inquiry has been initiated into the matter. We will hold a large protest if such an incident happens in the future,' she added.

BJP leader Agnimitra Paul, who was part of the meeting, drew parallels between the political dynamics in Bangladesh and West Bengal, accusing Yunus of engaging in 'appeasement politics', similar to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, and being influenced by 'Islamic fundamentalist forces' that seek to erase Tagore's legacy, including the national anthem he composed.

'Five leaders were there (in the meeting) and raised some pertinent questions, like why was the house of Rabindranath Tagore vandalised? Why are Hindus being attacked (in Bangladesh)? Why isn't the Yunus government taking action? Why is the population of minority Hindus decreasing?' Paul questioned,

'Because Muhammad Yunus, just like Mamata Banerjee, does appeasement politics. He is under the control of Islamic fundamentalist forces, who don't want the national anthem composed by Rabindranath Tagore in Bangladesh,' she alleged.

The Deputy High Commission officials, according to Paul, responded politely and requested official mail to forward to the Bangladesh government while also expressing concerns over the cancellation of visas affecting their country.

'I clearly told them that this wasn't started by India but by Bangladesh, when Hindus were killed, and yet no action has been taken. We want the previous friendship to normalise,' Paul reiterated.

Earlier, the Ministry of External Affairs condemned the 'vandalism' of one of the ancestral homes of Rabindranath Tagore located in Bangladesh.

Addressing a media briefing, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that the violent act is a disgrace to the memory and the inclusive philosophy and the teachings of the Nobel laureate.

When asked about reports coming out of Bangladesh on the issue of vandalism of the ancestral home of Rabindranath Tagore, the MEA Spokesperson said, 'We strongly condemn the despicable attack and vandalisation of the ancestral home of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore by a mob on June 8, 2025. The home, historically called Rabindra Kutcherybari, is located in the Sirajganj district of Bangladesh. The violent act is a disgrace to the memory and the inclusive philosophy and the teachings that the Nobel laureate espoused in Bangladesh.'

He further noted, 'The attack falls in the broad pattern of the systematic attempts by the extremists to erase the symbols of tolerance and eviscerate the syncretic culture and the cultural legacy of Bangladesh.'

Calling the perpetrators of the act as 'terrorists', MEA urged the interim government to take strict action against the perpetrators.

'We urge the interim government to rein in the terrorists and take strict action against the perpetrators, preventing the recurrence of such incidents that sadly have become a repetitive feature,' the Spokesperson said. (ANI)