MORAL EROSION: Outrage in India as Bangladesh Demolishes Satyajit Ray’s Ancestral Home

The ancestral home of iconic Indian filmmaker Satyajit Ray in Mymensingh, Bangladesh, is being demolished — a move that has triggered diplomatic concern in India and public outrage across South Asia. 

The building, once home to Ray’s grandfather, noted author Upendra Kishore Ray Chowdhury, was a cultural relic that had served as the local Shishu Academy.

Image Source: DD India

Despite its historic value and significance to the Bengali cultural renaissance, Bangladeshi authorities have begun razing the site to construct a new semi-concrete structure. 

India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) called the demolition deeply regrettable and offered assistance for restoration, proposing to help convert it into a museum honoring shared literary heritage.

Prominent Indian leaders across party lines condemned the demolition. TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee called it an “assault on heritage,” while BJP’s Amit Malviya labeled it “the erasure of history.” Economist Sanjeev Sanyal accused the Bangladeshi state of complicity in a broader “systematic erasure” of Bengali Hindu identity.

The demolition has also reignited anger over a disturbing pattern of targeted attacks on minorities in post-Hasina Bangladesh. 

Following the resignation of Sheikh Hasina in August 2024, the country has witnessed over 2,000 documented incidents of communal violence against Hindus, including attacks on 69 temples and the deaths of numerous people.

International rights groups, including Amnesty International and the UN, have flagged serious violations in Bangladesh, particularly against Hindus, Ahmadis, and indigenous groups. Multiple Western governments have expressed concern. 

The U.S., UK, EU, and Australia have urged Dhaka to uphold minority rights and end impunity for communal violence.

India’s MEA had reiterated its position against what it called “a systematic pattern of desecration.” External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar had told Parliament that New Delhi is monitoring the situation closely, with diplomatic channels active.

What could have been a symbol of cultural diplomacy now stands reduced to rubble — a demolition that critics say reflects a dangerous moral erosion in Bangladesh’s transitional politics. For many, this is the desecration of memory, identity, and history.