Three photographs of Pakistan’s founder, Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, were torn down by a student at the Dhaka University Central Students’ Union (DUCSU) museum in Bangladesh after they were displayed as part of a recent renovation. The incident took place on September 14, 2026.
The student, Abu Tayeb Habildar, is a fourth-year student of Dhaka University’s Urdu Department. He entered the museum and damaged the framed photographs, saying Jinnah’s views on the Bengali language made his presence controversial in a museum documenting Bangladesh’s history.
The renovated museum had displayed three Jinnah-related images. One showed his 1948 speech in Dhaka, when he declared Urdu as Pakistan’s sole state language. Another was from the 1940 All-India Muslim League meeting in Lahore, while the third was a newspaper clipping related to Pakistan’s 1970 election.
DUCSU officials defended the displays, saying they were included to document historical events rather than praise Jinnah. However, the university administration later said displaying photographs of Jinnah and other controversial figures conflicted with Bangladesh’s history of the Language Movement and independence. It formed an investigation committee and said action would be taken against those responsible.
