DHAKA: Bangladesh on Sunday reinstalled a controversial statue deemed un-Islamic by religious hardliners on the grounds of the Supreme Court, just days after its removal had sparked angry protests by secular groups.

The sculpture of a blindfolded, sari-clad woman holding scales had been in place for less than six months when authorities removed it early on Friday under pressure from hardliners, who said it was based on the Greek goddess of justice.

Its removal from the front plaza of Bangladesh’s top court triggered violent clashes between police and secular groups, who saw the move as further evidence of creeping Islamisation in the officially secular country. But the sculpture’s creator Mrinal Haque, who had accused authorities of bowing to hardline groups, said he was asked to reinstall the statue at a different location on the court grounds.

“We have just placed the sculpture in front of the Annex Building of the Supreme Court,” Haque said on Sunday.

“I wasn’t given any clarification but was only ordered to relocate it,” he said, adding the new location was at the back of the court where hardly anyone could see it.

Opponents of the statue — who have been demanding for months that it be destroyed — gathered outside the courthouse on Sunday to protest against its return.

Several were arrested by police, Islamist groups said, drawing hundreds of protesters to Dhaka’s main mosque to demand their release.

“Police arrested nine of our peaceful activists. If they are not released immediately, we will call for a stronger countrywide movement,” said Hasibul Islam, spokesman for the student-based Islamist party Islami Shasantantra Chhatra Andolan. The government risked “falling into danger” by trying to balance the interests of Islamist and secularist groups, he added.

Published in Dawn, May 29th, 2017