The arrestees were identified as students Abu Bakar Mithun, 19, Sabuj Islam alias Nahid, 20, and teachers Al Amin, 27, and Yusuf Ali, 26.

Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Khandakar Mohiuddin confirmed the matter at a press briefing in the afternoon.

The arrestees smashed the sculpture after being inspired by the speeches of Faizul Karim and Mamunul Haque, the DIG said.

“We have managed to arrest them within 23 hours, the students were held for vandalism and the teachers for helping them in the vile act,  said Mohiuddin.

Mithun and Nahid demolished the sculpture with hammers from 2:05 am to 2:13am and returned to the madrasa on foot early Saturday, he said.

Later they disclosed the matter to their two teachers who advised the students to flee, he added.

Earlier on Sunday,the under-construction sculpture of Bangabandhu was vandalized triggering aggravation among locals.

A CCTV footage showed two people vandalizing the sculpture at 2am.

To mark Bangabandhu's birth centenary, the local administration decided to set up three sculptures of Bangabandhu at the intersection of five streets in the city in November this year.

Also, it planned to build murals of the four national leaders at the bottom of the sculpture, Kushtia Municipality sources said.

The construction of one of the sculptures of Bangabandhu started on November 17 and was nearing completion, Kushtia Municipality Engineer Rabiul Islam said.

Meanwhile, the making of a sculpture of the Father of the Nation in the capital has recently stirred up a lot of controversies.

On November 13, Islami Andolan Bangladesh Nayeb-e-Ameer Faizul Karim and Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh Joint Secretary General Mamunul Haque opposed the setting up of the sculpture.

Earlier, ruling Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader made it clear that any attempt to destroy religious tolerance in the country would be dealt with strictly.

Also read: Bangabandhu's unfinished sculpture smashed in Kushtia