Dhaka mob torches home of Hasina father, Delhi slams vandalism

“All those who value the freedom struggle that nurtured Bangla identity and pride are aware of the importance of this residence for the national consciousness of Bangladesh. This act of vandalism should be strongly condemned.”

People watch as protesters torch the residence of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in Dhaka on Thursday. (Photo: AP)

Earlier in the day, hours after a mob torched the Dhaka home of Bangabandhu,  Bangladesh lodged a protest with India’s acting envoy, saying “false and fabricated comments” by Hasina, who is in India, are a “hostile act”.

The mob attack, which followed Hasina’s call to her supporters to stand up against the interim government in Dhaka, led to a sense of disquiet in South Block.

The Daily Star, a leading daily in Bangladesh, reported that protesters torched and tore down parts of the Dhanmondi-32 residence of Bangabandhu after calls in social media for demolishing what they said was a “pilgrimage site of fascism”.

An event titled ‘Bulldozer Procession’ was scheduled for 9 pm Wednesday, timed to coincide with an online programme where Hasina was slated to speak. The virtual event was announced by the now-banned Chhatra League, the student wing of her Awami League.

However, around 8 pm, an hour before the planned procession, hundreds of protesters stormed the building and began taking it apart with shovels and hammers. A mural of Mujib was also wrecked, the Daily Star quoted witnesses as saying.

Protesters vandalize the residence of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Bangladesh’s former leader and the father of the country’s ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, at Dhanmondi, in Dhaka in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025. (AP/PTI)

“By around 9.30 pm, the building was set on fire. A little before midnight, at least one crane and one excavator reached the spot, and by the time this report was filed around 2 am today, parts of the building were razed to the ground,” it reported.

Hasina, in her speech, said, “They can demolish a building, but not the history… but they must also remember that history takes its revenge.”

“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,” she said.

She urged the people of Bangladesh to stand up against the interim government, accusing it of seizing power in an unconstitutional manner.

Responding to this turn of events, the Bangladesh Foreign Ministry asked India “to immediately take appropriate measures, in the spirit of mutual respect and understanding, to stop her from making such false, fabricated and incendiary statements using social media and other communications while she is in India”.

In an official statement, it said it lodged a “strong protest with the Government of India over the false, fabricated comments and statements continuously being made in different platforms including social media, by former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, instigating instability in Bangladesh”.

The protest note, handed over to the Acting Indian High Commissioner in Dhaka, conveyed the “deep concern, disappointment and serious reservation” of Bangladesh because such statements are “hurting the sentiments” of the people in the country, the statement said.

It said such activities by Hasina are considered a “hostile act towards Bangladesh and are not conducive to the efforts at establishing a healthy relationship between the two countries”.

Earlier, Hasnat Abdullah, convener of the Students Against Discrimination,said, “Tonight, Bangladesh will be freed from the grip of fascism.”

In August last year, the Army-backed interim government stepped in after student-led protests ousted Hasina and she fled to India. Dhaka has sought her extradition but Delhi has not responded to the request.