Godsent Ogbebor
Hundreds of protesters in Bangladesh demolished buildings linked to ousted former leader Sheikh Hasina on Thursday, intensifying unrest six months after her removal from power.
The destruction began late Wednesday when students armed with excavators tore down a museum dedicated to Hasina’s late father, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Bangladesh’s first president. The site, which was set on fire last year during a student-led uprising, was also Rahman’s former residence.
By Thursday morning, the remaining fire-damaged walls were being knocked down, while protesters torched and vandalized other properties linked to Hasina across the country. Among them was the Dhaka residence of her late husband, which was set ablaze.
The attacks followed reports that Hasina, who fled to India on August 5 and faces an arrest warrant for alleged massacres, planned to appear in a Facebook broadcast from exile.
Protests spread to multiple cities, with demonstrators targeting properties linked to Hasina’s family and political allies. In Khulna, government-owned excavators were used to demolish a building associated with her family.
In Kushtia, the home of ruling Awami League leader Mahbubul Alam Hanif was vandalized, while in Chittagong, a torch procession was held as protesters smashed a mural of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Security forces did not intervene as the destruction unfolded.
Residents expressed concern over the escalating chaos. A security guard in Dhaka, Jamal Uddin, said he repeatedly called the fire service as the flames threatened nearby homes.
“We had to cut off the electricity ourselves,” he said. “I don’t know when the situation will return to normal.” A shopkeeper near Rahman’s former home, speaking anonymously out of fear of reprisals, described the unrest as troubling.
Although, with no formal response from the interim government, tensions continue to rise, fueling fears of further instability in Bangladesh.
