Recently, a video has gone viral on social media platform Facebook, showing a school student demolishing a Shaheed Minar. The video has been circulated with the claim, “Mr. Yunus, you have succeeded in raising an entire generation to destroy the history and heritage of the country.” Additionally, several other posts have been shared alongside the video with negative commentary, omitting the actual reason behind the demolition, implying that the act was an attempt to erase historical and cultural heritage.

Fact-check

An investigation by the Rumor Scanner team reveals that the viral video of a student demolishing the Shaheed Minar in the school premises is not part of any malicious or communal act. The school had constructed a new, larger Shaheed Minar, and with the principal’s approval, the older and smaller monument was removed.
A reverse image search of multiple key frames from the video led to another video of the same incident, posted on February 20 by a TikTok account named "Sabbir3_90." The caption of that video states, “A new Shaheed Minar has been built next to it, so the old one is being removed.” The video also shows another Shaheed Minar nearby. Further investigation of the TikTok account led to another student’s profile from the same school. A video posted on February 21 shows students chanting slogans in front of a banner commemorating International Mother Language Day, which also displays the school’s name: Tikari Bazar Secondary School. The same TikTok account had also shared footage of the demolition, reiterating that the old Shaheed Minar was being removed because a new one had already been constructed.
Further searches using the school’s name led to a Facebook post by an account named "MD Mintu Biswas" from January 17. The post features a video shot at the school, showing the newly constructed, larger Shaheed Minar next to the demolished one. The school’s name, Tikari Bazar Secondary School, is visible on a building in the footage. The video caption also confirms the name: “#Tikari Bazar Secondary School, Sadar, Jhenaidah.” This confirms that the school had two Shaheed Minars, and the smaller one was dismantled.
Moreover, another Facebook post by an account named "MD Jamshed Ali" on February 21 at 8:44 AM shows multiple images of International Mother Language Day celebrations in front of the school’s new Shaheed Minar. Although some posts and comments falsely claimed that the demolition occurred on February 21, images from the event confirm that the old Shaheed Minar had already been removed before that day. The remains of the demolished monument are visible beside the new one, indicating that the structure was taken down prior to International Mother Language Day.
To verify the matter, the Rumor Scanner team contacted Mohammad Naosher Ali, the principal of Tikari Bazar Secondary School. He clarified that the incident took place about a month ago. A new, larger Shaheed Minar was built in 2023. The old, smaller monument was causing inconvenience for students during sports activities, prompting them to request its removal. The principal granted permission to demolish the old structure. He further stated, “One Shaheed Minar is sufficient; there is no need for two. I personally built the old Shaheed Minar in 1988 when I was a student at this school.”
Although this particular incident is not linked to any communal or malicious intent, a separate case of vandalism occurred at Gunabati Degree College in Chauddagram, Comilla, where unidentified individuals destroyed the institution’s Shaheed Minar on the night of February 21. According to media reports citing college sources, on the night of February 20 at 12:01 AM, the college faculty, followed by local BNP leaders and activists, laid wreaths at the Shaheed Minar in observance of International Mother Language Day. They left the premises around 12:30 AM, and at approximately 2:00 AM, the night guard heard a loud noise. Upon inspection, he discovered that two of the three pillars of the Shaheed Minar had been destroyed.
Thus, the removal of the older, smaller Shaheed Minar at Tikari Bazar Secondary School, which was approved by the principal following the construction of a new monument, has been misleadingly portrayed as an act of deliberate destruction of historical and cultural heritage.

Original News Source: https://rumorscanner.com/fact-check/misleading-claim-shaheed-minar-vandalised-by-students/140021