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Bangladesh’s interim government clarified that the building being demolished in Mymensingh has no connection with filmmaker Satyajit Ray.

India has offered to restore, reconstruct and repair renowned filmmaker Satyajit Ray’s ancestral home in Mymensingh, Bangladesh after Yunus ordered its demolition. (IMAGE: DHAKA TRIBUNE)
Bangladesh’s interim government on Thursday issued a statement clarifying that the building being demolished in Mymensingh district has no historical or familial connection with legendary filmmaker Satyajit Ray or his ancestors.
The statement, issued by the neighbouring country’s Foreign Affairs Ministry, came after reports emerged that Bangladeshi authorities have demolished a “landmark” building in Mymensingh linked to the iconic filmmaker.
In a statement, Bangladesh’s Foreign Ministry said that a detailed review of official land and archival records had been conducted, which reconfirmed that the building never belonged to Ray’s family. “The house in question never had any relation with the ancestors of the esteemed laureate Satyajit Ray,” the statement read.
Citing archival records, the ministry clarified that the said property belonged to a local zamindar, Shashikant Acharya Chowdhury.
“It was built by a local Zamindar Shashikant Acharya Chowdhury, next to his bungalow house ‘Shashi Lodge’, for his employees,” it added.
As per the ministry, after the abolition of the zamindari system, the land became government property and was later leased to the Bangladesh Shishu Academy. It served as the district office of the Academy before being declared unsafe.
Officials said the building had been left unused since 2014, after the Shishu Academy shifted to a rented place. Over time, the empty building became a spot for illegal activities.
The government has now started building a new semi-permanent structure for the Academy at the same location. The old building is being taken down through a public auction that was announced in March 2025.
The statement further added that the only connection to the Ray family in the area is the nearby road named after Hari Kishore Ray, Satyajit Ray’s great-grandfather. The family once owned a house there, which was sold many years ago and no longer exists.
“The Ray family had a house on Harikishore Ray Road, which they had sold long ago and thus no longer exists. A multi-storied building was constructed there by the new owner,” it said.
Meanwhile, the demolition of the said property was halted on Wednesday following public outcry.
The development came a day after the Indian government stepped in and volunteered to help in repair and reconstruction of the property into a “museum of literature”.
“We note with profound regret that the ancestral property of noted filmmaker and litterateur Satyajit Ray in Mymensingh, Bangladesh, belonging to his grandfather and eminent litterateur, Upendra Kishor Ray Chowdhury, is being demolished,” India’s MEA said in a statement.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has also appealed to the Bangladeshi government to preserve the historic property. She also mentioned that demolition work on the century-old property has already begun.
The historic landmark and the century-old property in Dhaka’s Horikishore Ray Chowdhury Road belonged to Ray’s grandfather, the renowned litterateur Upendra Kishore Ray Chowdhury, whose poems and short stories are taught to children in schools in India’s West Bengal, Assam and Tripura and also in Bangladesh, making it an intrinsic part of Bengali culture.
The dilapidated building has remained unused since 2007. After the 1947 Partition, the property passed into government ownership and was converted into the Mymensingh Shishu Academy in 1989.
Bangladesh news outlet Daily Star reported on Tuesday that the ancestral home of Ray’s grandfather, formerly used as the Mymensingh Shishu Academy, is being demolished to make way for a new semi-concrete structure.

Shobhit Gupta is a sub-editor at News18.com and covers India and International news. He is interested in day to day political affairs in India and geopolitics. He earned his BA Journalism (Hons) degree from Ben…Read More
Shobhit Gupta is a sub-editor at News18.com and covers India and International news. He is interested in day to day political affairs in India and geopolitics. He earned his BA Journalism (Hons) degree from Ben… Read More
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- Location :
Dhaka, Bangladesh
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