By Anjali Sharma
WASHINGTON – According to local media reports on Thursday a mob vandalized the residence of Bangladesh’s founding leader, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, in Dhaka on Wednesday evening. Visuals showed flames on one of the floors of the house.
The protesters demanded a ban on the Awami League, stormed the premises after breaking open the gate, caused widespread destruction, Dhaka Tribune reported, cited UNB.
Local media linked the protest to an online speech by former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
Social media posts had called for a “Bulldozer Procession” towards Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s residence located at Dhanmondi-32 if Sheikh Hasina delivered a speech, as reported by Dhaka Tribune.
The excavator had been brought to demolish the house.
Protestors arrived in a rally and forced their way in, breaking into the main gate before proceeding to vandalize the property.
Many protestors climbed to the second floor, using hammers, crowbars, and wooden planks to destroy portraits of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and damage sections of the historic house, local media reported.
Hasnat Abdullah, convener of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, posted on Facebook: “Tonight, the land of Bangladesh will be freed from fascism.”
Other figures, including Sharif Osman Hadi, the convener of the Inquilab Mancha and a member of the Jatiyo Nagorik Committee, also shared posts warning of the attack, media reported.
Dhakar Tribune reported that this was not the first time the Dhanmondi 32 residence has been targeted. Earlier on August 5, demonstrators had attacked the house, causing destruction and setting parts of it on fire.
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