On Wednesday, a large group of protesters stormed and set fire to the residence of Bangladesh’s founding father, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, in Dhaka while his daughter, former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, was delivering a live address online.
The protestors, who were demanding a ban on the Awami League, the party founded by Sheikh Mujib, vandalized the historic residence located at Dhanmondi 32.
They broke open the gate and began causing extensive damage to the building, including setting the top floor on fire.
The attack occurred during a speech by Hasina, who was addressing the country through a live online broadcast organized by the now-defunct Chhatra League, the student wing of the Awami League.
In her address, Hasina urged the people of Bangladesh to rise up against the current regime.
“They are yet to have the strength to destroy the national flag, the constitution and the independence that we earned at the cost of lives of millions of martyrs with a bulldozer,” Hasina remarked, referring to the current government led by Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus.
Hasina further noted, “They can demolish a building, but not the history… but they must also remember that the history takes its revenge.”
The student movement that had previously vowed to scrap Bangladesh’s 1972 Constitution and ‘bury the Mujibist constitution’ was reportedly behind the attack.
Far-right groups have also called for changes to the national anthem, which Sheikh Mujib adopted under his leadership.
The residence at Dhanmondi 32 holds significant historical value as it was the site of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s pre-Independence autonomy movement.
After Bangladesh’s independence, the house became a museum and visited by foreign dignitaries.
Second Attack Since Sheikh Hasina’s Departure To India
This marks the second attack on the iconic house. The first attack occurred on 5 August of last year, after Hasina’s Awami League government was overthrown and she secretly fled to India with her sister, Sheikh Rehana, aboard a Bangladesh Air Force flight.
In her speech, Hasina expressed sorrow over the attack, noting that the protesters were destroying her childhood memories but would never succeed in erasing her family’s history.
Nearly in tears, Hasina asserted, “We sisters live for those memories of Dhanmondi, now they are destroying that house. Last time they did set this house on fire now they are breaking that house. They can break this house but they will not be successful in removing history.”
Hasina, 77, has been residing in India since 5 August of last year after fleeing Bangladesh in the wake of a massive student-led protest that ended her Awami League’s 16-year rule.
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