By Sumi Khan

Dhaka, Jan 6 (IANS): The minority rights body of Bangladesh has voiced its opposition to the razing of the historical house of the late Jatra Mohan Sengupta, a Bengali lawyer and a top Congress leader.

The Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council or Hindu Buddhist Christian Oikkyo Parishad has called for a human chain and protest rally on January 9 to protect all heritage sites in the country, the Council's General Secretary Rana Dasgupta told IANS on Wednesday morning.

On Monday morning, the front portion of the historical house located in the city's Rahmatganj area was bulldozed in the presence of police.

It was, however, stopped in the face of resistance from the local residents of Chattagram led by Rana Dasgupta, when he stood before the bulldozer and asked the land grabber Giasuddin Sujo, a former leader of the ruling party Awami League and his cadres Faruq, Jashim and others to run the bulldozer over him.

The house of Jatra Mohan Sengupta is located in Rahmatganj area of Chattagram.

Referring to Article 24 of the constitution of Bangladesh, Rana Dasgupta told IANS that it says the state shall adopt measures for protection from disfigurement, damage or removal of all monuments or places of special artistic or historic importance or interest.

"It is a place of historical interest, on the other hand this building is an antique and cultural heritage. On July 7, 2018 the DC of Chittagong was ordered to restore this historical house. And then the cultural ministry of Bangladesh took a decision to take up a big project for the restoration of the leaders, who fought to free India from British rule.

"We have demanded let the government of Bangladesh take up the historical place and let it be turned into a museum for protecting the historical events of 150 years fight to free India from the British."

About the court order for the land grabbers, Dasgupta said: "All these orders are procured, fabricated and manufactured."

He said the the Bangladesh government has been urged to take action to turn the historical house into a museum.

Meanwhile, despite a top official's order, no action was taken by police against the hooligans.

Six of them were found to be staying in the historical house on Tuesday, claiming they have been given the custody by the Additional Commissioner, Land of the District Authority of Chattagram.

Jatra Mohon Sengupta (1850-1919) was a revolutionary and president of the Congress in Chittagong.

His son Deshapriya Barrister Jatindra Mohan Sengupta (1885-1933) was a five-time Mayor of the Calcutta City Corporation, and was also one of the top revolutionaries who fought against British colonial rule.

Jatindra was arrested several times by the British police. In 1933, he died in Ranchi prison. Jatindra's wife Britisher Edith Ellen Gray, known as Nellie Sengupta (1886-1973) stayed in this historic house till 1970.

She did not sell or hand over the property to anyone.

The Bangladesh government categorised the property as Orpito Sompatti (vested property), Dasgupta told IANS.