- By Anushka Vats
- Thu, 06 Feb 2025 09:20 AM (IST)
- Source:JND
A large group of protesters on Wednesday attacked and set fire to the residence of Bangladesh’s founder, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, in the Dhanmondi area of Dhaka. The incident occurred during a live address by his daughter, the former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, which was broadcast online. The house, now a memorial museum, became the target of the protests, which had been organised through social media under the call for a "Bulldozer Procession."
Thousands of protesters gathered outside the iconic residence in the evening. The demonstration intensified as Hasina, speaking at 9 pm (BST), urged the nation to rise against the current regime. Her speech, organised by the Awami League’s disbanded student wing, the Chhatra League, called for resistance against the government's actions.
“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 stated, likely referring to Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus’s regime. She further remarked, “They can demolish a building, but not the history … but they must also remember that the history takes its revenge.”
The protesters, part of a movement calling for the abolition of Bangladesh's 1972 Constitution, had previously voiced intentions to change the national anthem and abandon what they referred to as the “Mujibist constitution.” The residence at 32 Dhanmondi, once the centre of Sheikh Mujib’s autonomy movement, was transformed into a memorial following his assassination in 1975.
The building was set ablaze once again in August last year when Hasina fled Bangladesh after her nearly 16-year reign was toppled by protests. The house, symbolising Bangladesh's history, had previously endured damage during the 1971 Liberation War when Pakistani forces looted it but did not destroy it.
“Today, this house is being demolished. What crime had it committed? Why were they so afraid of the house?” Hasina questioned in a visibly emotional tone.
Despite efforts by army personnel to calm the protesters, the situation remained tense. Meanwhile, organisers of the student movement, including Abdul Hannan Masud, called for the demolition of other former Awami League leaders' residences, urging the construction of new buildings in their place.
As the unrest continues, Hasina, currently in India since August last year, faces an extradition attempt by Bangladesh’s interim government under a treaty between the two nations.