Shillong: Meghalaya Arts and Culture Minister Sanbor Shullai has pledged to reinstall a life-size statue of Khasi freedom fighter Tirot Sing Syiem in Bangladesh’s Dhaka, after it was destroyed by a mob earlier this year.
Shullai stated that he would coordinate with the Indian Embassy in Bangladesh to oversee the reconstruction of the statue.
The original bust, which he had commissioned during his previous tenure as Arts and Culture Minister in the MDA-I government, was vandalized during civil unrest in the Bangladeshi capital.
The minister expressed concern over the incident but noted that the damage was not confined to the Tirot Sing memorial.
He noted that even statues of Bangladesh’s founding father were damaged during the unrest, indicating that the destruction was part of broader violence rather than a deliberate attack on the Khasi leader’s legacy.
Shullai has already consulted with the Commissioner and Secretary F Kharkongor regarding the restoration project.
He intends to personally visit Dhaka to supervise the installation of a full-scale statue, replacing the earlier bust.
He stated that officials would finalize the timeline for his visit to Bangladesh, where he plans to assess the location and ensure proper reconstruction of the memorial honouring the freedom fighter.
ALSO READ: NIT Meghalaya, NESAC scientists work to improve 5G, 6G connectivity in Sohra
Tirot Sing Syiem, a 19th-century Khasi chief, led resistance against British colonial expansion in the Khasi Hills and remains an important historical figure in Meghalaya.
