Dhaka: Thousands of protesters in Bangladesh set fire to the historic home of the country’s founding leader, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, as his daughter, the ousted former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, delivered a passionate social media address urging her supporters to resist the interim government.
Witnesses reported that several thousand protesters, some armed with sticks, hammers, and other tools, gathered around the house, which also sits next to a key independence monument. In a symbolic display of defiance, protesters brought a crane and excavator to demolish the building. The protest, part of a broader campaign called the “Bulldozer Procession,” aimed to disrupt Hasina’s scheduled online address at 9 p.m. on Wednesday.
The protesters, many aligned with the “Students Against Discrimination” group, expressed their anger over Hasina’s speech, which they viewed as an affront to the newly formed interim government. Tensions have been simmering in Bangladesh since August 2024 when mass protests forced Hasina to flee to neighboring India.
The interim government, led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, has struggled to maintain control amid continued unrest. Demonstrators have targeted key symbols of Hasina’s government, including her father’s residence, which was first set ablaze in August.
The house, a pivotal symbol in Bangladesh’s history, is where Mujibur Rahman famously declared the country’s independence from Pakistan in 1971. It later became the site of a national tragedy in 1975 when Mujibur Rahman and most of his family were assassinated there. Hasina, who survived the attack, later transformed the site into a museum honoring her father’s legacy.
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“They can demolish a building, but not the history. History takes its revenge,” Hasina said in her speech on Wednesday. She urged Bangladeshis to stand up against the interim government, accusing them of seizing power unconstitutionally.
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The student-led movement behind the protests has expressed plans to dismantle the country’s 1972 Constitution, which they believe represents the legacy of Hasina’s father’s rule.
