Ten eminent personalities of the country in a statement yesterday said the government “virtually surrendered to religious fundamentalist forces” through removing the Lady Justice's statue from the Supreme Court premises.

They demanded the government and the Supreme Court authorities immediately reinstall the statue.

“We are aggrieved at the removal of the statue, the symbol of justice, from the premises of Bangladesh's highest court and we are expressing our anger and revulsion at this anti-progressive act,” said the statement signed by cultural personality Nasiruddin Yusuf Bachchu.

The other signatories to the statement are journalist Abdul Gaffer Chowdhury, Prof Anisuzzaman, essayist Hasan Azizul Haque, Tagore exponent Sanjida Khatun, actor Hasan Imam, dramatists Ramendu Majumder and Mamunur Rashid, Panna Kaiser and Mofidul Hoque.

They termed the removal of the statue “an act against the culture of the country”.

“We hope the people of Bangladesh won't be misled by the anti-culture campaign in the name of religion,” read the statement, adding that the anti-liberation evil force had made a failed attempt to destroy Aparajeyo Bangla, a symbol of pride of the Liberation War.

This force had destroyed the “Duranto Shishu” sculpture in the dark of night and it was currently trying to turn secular Bangladesh into a religious fundamentalist country, said the 10 eminent citizens.