Sheikh Mujib Rahman’s Bangladesh residence, Dhanmondi 32, vandalised and set on fire: Report

Several videos on social media also showed, army arriving at the site and taking position in front of the house.

The demonstrators reportedly declared that the house, long associated with the Mujibur family, symbolised authoritarianism and fascism. They expressed their intentions to erase any trace of what they referred to as “Mujibism” and fascism in the country.

The protest followed a call for a ‘bulldozer procession’ towards Dhanmondi-32 on Facebook in response to an online speech given by former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who fled to India in the wake of the July uprising. Protesters had also announced a ‘March to Dhanmondi-32’ program.

Earlier in the afternoon, Prothom Alo reported that Sharif Osman Bin Hadi, convener of Inqilab Mancha and a member of the Jatiya Nagorik Committee, made multiple Facebook posts about vandalizing the building at Dhanmondi. The protest was initially scheduled for 9 pm but was later moved up to 8 pm.

Even before the scheduled time, a group of demonstrators reportedly marched from the National Museum at Shahbagh to Dhanmondi, where they forcibly broke the main entrance and began vandalising the historic building, Dhaka Tribune reported.

Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s Dhanmondi residence comes under the wrath of people at around 8:00pm following an announcement of a ‘Bulldozer procession’ pic.twitter.com/kQ4p8vLauL

— The Business Standard (@tbsnewsbd) February 5, 2025

Around 7 pm, Hasnat Abdullah, convener of the anti-discrimination student movement, wrote in a Facebook post, “Tonight, Bangladesh will be free from the pilgrimage site of fascism.”

This is not the first time the Dhanmondi-32 residence has been targeted. On August 5, following the ouster of the Awami League regime, aggrieved demonstrators carried out a similar attack, vandalising the building and setting parts of it on fire. Since then, the house has reportedly remained largely abandoned.