Vandalism of Liberation War Memorials in Bangladesh

This article examines reported incidents involving Liberation War memorials in Bangladesh from August 2024 to July 2025 after the regime change of Sheikh Hasina’s government. Drawing on qualitative analysis of media reports, the study explores where the incidents occurred, what symbolic memorials, murals, and historical sites were targeted, and how these sites were vandalized. The findings indicate that incidents were geographically dispersed and frequently involved locations associated with key moments, figures, and narratives of the Liberation War. Rather than attributing motivations to specific actors, the analysis focuses on observable incidents and situates them within theoretical discussions on collective and cultural memory. Interpreted through this framework, the repeated attacks on national commemoration suggest that the continuity of national memory may become vulnerable. While the study does not establish coordinated intent, it demonstrates that the consistency and recurrence of such incidents create a context in which attacks on commemorative infrastructures can be identified and analytically explained. The article contributes to broader debates on memory politics by providing an empirically grounded model of how commemorative sites may be affected during periods of political transition. It highlights the importance of safeguarding historical sites of memory as part of sustaining the legacy of the birth of the nation and national identity.