Mob vandalises, sets fire to Sheikh Mujibur Rahman house in Dhaka day before protest by Awami League

A mob vandalised and set fire to the residence of Bangladesh’s founding leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the father of deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, in Dhaka on Wednesday. The incident came a day after Hasina addressed a speech online and appealed to Awami League workers to protest against the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government.

The protesters arrived at the Dhanmondi 32 area in bulldozers and threatened to raze the house. However, they decided against demolishing the house and broke the main gate, vandalising and setting fire to the property, The Dhaka Tribune reported.

The attackers said the house was a symbol of “authoritarianism and fascism” and vowed to remove traces of what they termed as ‘Mujibism’ in the country.

Several protesters climbed to the second floor of the house and used hammers, crowbars and wooden planks to destroy Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s portrait and others on the property, according to The Dhaka Tribune.

The mob chanted slogans and demanded the execution of former Bangladesh Chief Minister Sheikh Hasina, who fled to India on August 5 last year after massive anti-government protests.

Meanwhile, ahead of the planned protest by the Awami League, several supporters and workers of the party were arrested. The party had plans to block Dhaka, including the highways, by shutting down Bangladesh’s transport system on Thursday.

Bangladesh has been witnessing turmoil since the fall of the Hasina government on August 5 last year. The Yunus government has repeatedly asked India to extradite Hasina, but New Delhi has extended her visa. Currently, Hasina faces many court cases, including some on charges of crimes against humanity.

Hasina and her close aides are already facing arrest warrants from the Dhaka-based International Crimes Tribunal and the Yunus government has sought help from internal police organisation Interpol for her arrest.

The International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) has issued arrest warrants against Hasina and 11 others in cases of enforced disappearance and extrajudicial killings during her 16-year tenure.

Yunus’s government has tightened the noose further on Hasina, with authorities revoking the passports of 97 people, including that of the deposed Prime Minister.

Hasina’s party, the Awami League, has also been barred from contesting future elections in Bangladesh.