DHAKA, Feb 6 : Over half of the home of Bangladesh’s founder Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in Dhaka’s Dhanmondi’s Road No. 32 has been demolished by demonstrators, in a demolition drive dubbed the ‘Bulldozer March’, hours after an online speech by former PM Sheikh Hasina, delivered from exile in India.
The demonstrators chanted slogans such as “Naraye Takbir,” “Chi Chi Hasina, lojjay bachi na”, and “Delhi na Dhaka, Dhaka, Dhaka”, as they proceeded to demolish the historic structure.
Meanwhile, Sheikh Hasina’s residence Sudha Sadan was also set on fire on Dhanmondi Road No. 5.
The protesters set fire to the Dhanmondi-32 house again on Thursday afternoon following demolition of the main building.
The fire quickly spread to the adjacent building on the right, prompting urgent evacuation efforts as the flames continued to engulf the collapsed structure.
The crowd continued to demolish the remaining parts of the historic house following a night of vandalism and attacks on it.
The demolition began at around 11:30pm on Wednesday, nearly two and a half hours after the house was set on fire around 9pm.
The demolition work, which involved a crane and excavator, went on for over 11 hours.
Witnesses said an angry mob gathered at the site, chanting slogans against the Awami League and its leader and deposed former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, unb reported.
People were seen dismantling parts of the structure and collecting bricks, doors, and windows. Some in the crowd vowed to remain at the site until the house was completely destroyed.
Tensions escalated when two individuals, including a middle aged woman, were reportedly beaten after they chanted “Joy Bangla”, the protesters claimed.
Despite calls from Awami League leaders and activists on social media to protect the building, no organised resistance was visible on the ground. Locals also refrained from commenting on the matter.
The house, which was turned into a museum, came under arson attack on August 5 last year following the fall of the Sheikh Hasina-led government.
As of Thursday afternoon, the right section of the building was nearly fully demolished, while the rest was being dismantled by protesters. Burnt debris from the fire lay scattered throughout the premises.
The situation remained volatile, with no law enforcement agencies present to prevent possible accidents or further destruction. The gathering continued to swell as more people joined in, watching or participating in the demolition efforts.
Outside Dhaka, homes of Hasina’s relatives and Awami League leaders, as well as various sculptures, were vandalised in Khulna, Jashore, Kushtia, Barishal, and Sylhet, bdnews24 reported.
The developments come on the day marking six months since the Hasina government fell and she went into exile amid mass protests.
A large crowd began gathering in the area after 8pm on Wednesday.
As their numbers swelled, some demonstrators broke through the gate and entered the premises, wielding sticks and crowbars.
Some attempted to break down the walls, while others were taking away window grilles, wood, and parts of the gate.
Slogans such as “Nara-e-Takbir”, “Zia’s soldiers, unite and fight”, “Delhi or Dhaka, Abu Sayed-Mugdho – the battle isn’t over”, and “Spread the word, bury Mujibism” were heard from inside.
Among the crowd, many were mere onlookers, watching the scene unfold, capturing photos or videos on their phones, and then moving on.
On August 5, the day the Hasina government was ousted, the same residence – closely tied to Bangabandhu’s memory – was set on fire.
On Wednesday evening, after extensive vandalism, protesters set fire to anything flammable inside the premises, while coconut palm leaves were also burning.
Around 10:45pm, amid a protest of nearly 3,000 people, a crane was brought to the house.
As it entered Road No. 32 from the main road, cheers erupted from the crowd, with some climbing onto the crane and shouting slogans.
Shortly after, an excavator was also brought in.
By 11:15pm, the demolition began in earnest with the crane and excavator.
Within an hour, part of the three-storey house was brought down. The work paused around 1:15am.
Earlier, a documentary on the July uprising was being screened on a projector in an open space opposite the house, organised by the Anti-discrimination Student Movement.
A loudspeaker announcement declared, “We are showing a documentary on the movement. Those who want to demolish, go ahead. Let others watch the documentary in peace.”
Despite prior statements about heightened security in Dhanmondi, only two police vans were seen on the street, with no significant law-enforcing presence in the area.
Around midnight, when army personnel arrived in front of the house on Road No. 32, students and protesters chanted “fake, fake” slogans.
The army withdrew shortly after.
Around 2:45am, the demolition of Bangabandhu’s house was ongoing, with thousands gathered, chanting slogans. Some were seen dancing to music played on loudspeakers.
The crowd at Dhanmondi 32 caused traffic congestion near Russel Square, disrupting movement.
Amid the ongoing situation at Dhanmondi 32, a fire was started at Hasina’s residence Sudha Sadan in Dhanmondi 5.
A security guard from Dhanmondi Society said a group of youths arrived between 10:30pm and 11pm on Wednesday and set fire to Sudha Sadan.
Despite the blaze continuing for over an hour, the Fire Service did not arrive at the scene.
Sounds of crackling doors, windows, and furniture being consumed by flames were heard in the area.
In a related incident, a bulldozer was also used to take down “Sheikh Bari” in Khulna, the residence of Hasina’s uncle.
Meanwhile, in Sylhet, a mural of Bangabandhu was also razed to the ground by a bulldozer at the deputy commissioner’s office.
At the same time, a bulldozer was used to tear down the house of Awami League Joint General Secretary Md Mahbub Ul Alam Hanif in Kushtia.
In Natore, former MP Shafiqul Islam Shimul’s house was vandalised and set on fire.
In Jashore, a group of youths first vandalised the mural of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman at the city’s Liberation War Complex.
They then proceeded to damage the mural and nameplate of Hasina at the Central Shaheed Minar of Old Kasba, which was constructed during the previous government’s tenure.
At Rajshahi University, nameplates of buildings including the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Hall, Fazilatunnesa Mujib Hall, under-construction Sheikh Hasina Hall, and Kamaruzzaman Hall were damaged and replaced with new names.
The portrait of Bangabandhu was destroyed at Khulna University, and his mural at Jahangirnagar University was also demolished.
A BBC Bangla report on Tuesday stated that Hasina was scheduled to address an online event on Wednesday night. This prompted a strong reaction from the Anti-discrimination Student Movement, which led the July-August uprising in 2024 that resulted in the fall of the Hasina government.
Hasnat Abdullah, convenor of the group, wrote in a Facebook post: “Allowing Hasina to deliver a speech is an act of war by India against the anti-fascist people of Bangladesh.”
Later, at 6:30pm on Wednesday, Hasnat posted again, saying: “Tonight, Bangladesh’s shrine of ‘fascism’ will be liberated.”
Earlier in the afternoon, controversial content creators Elias Hossain and Pinaki Bhattacharya announced the ‘Bulldozer March’ towards Dhanmondi-32 on Facebook.
They shared a photo card that read: “Following the ‘genocide’ of thousands of students and activists, killer Hasina has fled to Delhi, from where she continues her anti-Bangladesh activities. In protest, the revolutionary students of 2024 will march towards Dhanmondi-32 at 9pm tonight.”
The “Bulldozer March” began at Dhanmondi-32, but soon reports of vandalism and arson emerged from across the country.
Bangabandhu began living at the three-storey house on Dhanmondi 32 on October 1, 1961.
From this residence, he spearheaded Bangladesh’s struggle for independence from Pakistan.
The house bore witness to several pivotal moments in the country’s history, from the Anti-Ayub Movement of 1962 to the Six Point Programme of 1966, the 1970 general elections, and the Non-cooperation Movement at the onset of 1971.
It was at this home that Bangabandhu was arrested by the Pakistani military on the night of March 25, 1971.
And it was here, on August 15, 1975, that he and most of his family members were assassinated.
When his daughter Hasina returned to Bangladesh in 1981, she was initially barred from entering the house.
Later, on Jun 10 of that year, after clearing outstanding loan payments, she regained ownership but chose not to reside there.
Instead, she handed the property to the Bangabandhu Memorial Trust, which later transformed it into the Bangabandhu Memorial Museum.
Awami League chief Hasina fled to India resigning from her premiership on Aug 5, 2024 in the wake of a mass uprising.
(UNI)
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