Bangladesh Government To Demolish Satyajit Ray's Ancestral Home In Dhaka, Mamata Banerjee Seeks Centre's Intervention

Eminent filmmaker Satyajit Ray's ancestral home in Dhaka is being demolished by Bangladeshi authorities, said West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday. The century-old property in Dhaka's Horikishore Ray Chowdhury Road belonged to Ray's grandfather, the renowned litterateur Upendra Kishore Ray Chowdhury. Citing local media reports, Banerjee said that demolition work on the historic property has already begun.

"This news is extremely distressing. The Ray family is one of the foremost bearers and carriers of Bengali culture. Upendra Kishore is a pillar of Bengal's renaissance. Therefore, I believe this house is intricately tied to the cultural history of Bengal," the Chief Minister said in a post on X. 

She also appealed to the Mohammad Yunus government in Bangladesh, and all the conscientious people of that country, to take steps to preserve this heritage-laden house." Banerjee also urged the Indian government to intervene in the matter. 

খবরে প্রকাশ যে, বাংলাদেশের ময়মনসিংহ শহরে সত্যজিৎ রায়ের ঠাকুরদা, স্বয়ং স্বনামধন্য সাহিত্যিক-সম্পাদক উপেন্দ্রকিশোর রায়চৌধুরীর স্মৃতিজড়িত তাঁদের পৈতৃক বাড়িটি নাকি ভেঙে ফেলা হচ্ছে। ভাঙার কাজ শুরু হয়ে গিয়েছিল বলে খবর প্রকাশিত।

এই সংবাদ অত্যন্ত দুঃখের। রায় পরিবার বাংলার…

— Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) July 15, 2025

Upendra Kishore Ray Chowdhury's house-- a prominent archaeological landmark-- was formerly used as the Mymensingh Children's Academy but had reportedly fallen into disrepair after years of neglect by the authorities. It's being demolished to make way for a new semi-concrete structure," according to Bangladeshi publication Daily Star. 

According to the Bangladesh Department of Archaeology, the house was built more than a century ago. After the partition of 1947, the property came under government ownership.

"The house has been left abandoned for 10 years. Shishu Academy activities have been operating from a rented space," said Md Mehedi Zaman, Dhaka's Children Affairs Officer, told Daily Star.

A semi-concrete building with several rooms will be built to start academy activities, he said, adding that the demolition is being carried out with necessary approvals.

When asked why such a historically significant building was being demolished, the official said the building posed a serious risk for children, when they gather at the compound.