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The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Tuesday expressed deep concern over the reported demolition of the ancestral home of legendary filmmaker and writer Satyajit Ray in Mymensingh, Bangladesh. The residence originally belonged to Ray’s grandfather and noted 19th-century litterateur, Upendrakishore Ray Chowdhury.

“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,” the MEA said in a statement, as reported by PTI.

The Indian government, describing the site as a symbol of the Bengali cultural renaissance, urged Bangladeshi authorities to reconsider the demolition and explore restoration possibilities. “Given the building’s landmark status, symbolising Bangla cultural renaissance, it would be preferable to reconsider the demolition and examine options for its repair and reconstruction as a museum of literature and a symbol of the shared culture of India and Bangladesh,” the ministry said, adding that India “would be willing to extend cooperation for this purpose.”

Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee calls demolition ‘heartbreaking’

Earlier, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee also raised her voice against the demolition, citing media reports about the ongoing destruction of the heritage property. She called upon both the Indian and Bangladeshi governments to intervene.

“I learnt from media reports that the memory-entwined ancestral house of renowned writer-editor Upendrakishore Roychowdhury in Bangladesh’s Mymensingh city is being demolished. The reports say that the demolition process had already begun. This is heartbreaking news,” Mamata wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

Highlighting the Ray family’s cultural legacy, the Chief Minister said, “The Ray family is one of the most prominent torchbearers of Bengal’s culture. Upendrakishore was among the pillars of the Bengal Renaissance. I feel this house is inextricably linked to Bengal’s cultural history.”

She appealed to Bangladesh’s government and its citizens, saying, “I appeal to the Bangladeshi government and to all right-thinking people of that country to preserve this edifice of rich tradition. The Indian government should also intervene.”

Decades of neglect led to dilapidation, say reports

According to The Daily Star, the century-old house—built by Upendrakishore when he was a zamindar from Masua in Kishoreganj’s Katiadi Upazila—had been left abandoned for the past ten years. It had once housed the Mymensingh Shishu Academy.

“The house has been left abandoned for 10 years. Shishu Academy activities have been operating from a rented space,” the paper quoted Md Mehedi Zaman, the district Children Affairs Officer, as saying.

Zaman further informed the daily that the site would soon host a new semi-concrete structure with several rooms to resume the academy’s activities.

In a related development in June, Banerjee had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking action over alleged vandalism at Rabindranath Tagore’s ancestral home in Sirajganj, Bangladesh. In her letter, she had urged him to ensure that “perpetrators of this heinous and mindless act” were held accountable.