Unruly protesters in Bangladesh damaged the Indira Gandhi Cultural Centre (IGCC) and set fire to several key locations in Dhaka, including Bangabandhu Bhaban, after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina fled with her sister following her resignation amid student-led protests that turned violent.
The IGCC, inaugurated in March 2010, promotes cultural linkages between India and Bangladesh by organising programmes, seminars, and workshops in areas such as Yoga, Hindi, Indian classical music, and dance. Not only this, protesters also ransacked Hasina’s ancestral home-turned-museum and stormed her residence, taking furniture and food.
They also stormed the parliament building and damaged the house of the country’s chief justice and Hasina’s personal home. A group of protestors climbed a statue of Hasina’s father, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, and began chiselling away at the head.
Meanwhile, Army Chief General Waqar-uz-Zaman announced the formation of an interim government and urged protesters to end the violence, promising justice for those killed in weeks of unrest.
Back home, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) criticised Congress leader Salman Khurshid for suggesting that similar violent protests could occur in India. BJP MP Sambit Patra accused Khurshid of warning that protests and arson could break out in India, supported by other Congress leaders.
"Rahul Gandhi, whenever he went abroad, used to meet many people secretly and speak against India; now we are getting to know what his intention was," the Puri MP added. Giriraj Singh accused the opposition of playing the role of a 'tukde-tukde' gang for votes and claimed Khurshid spoke on Rahul Gandhi's instructions.
"We supported Palestine when the issue, but it was made an issue. Manish Tewari spoke but he did not speak to Hindus in Bangladesh," Singh said.
Referring to Khurshid's statement, Giriraj Singh added: "He (Salman Khurshid) said that India can also have a situation like Bangladesh, I know that he spoke on the instruction of Rahul Gandhi. It should be remembered that whenever someone tried to become Aurangzeb in the country, a Maharana Pratap had also come."
BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla accused Khurshid of provoking and inciting the people of India with his remarks, questioning if Khurshid was undermining Indian democracy and armed forces.
Bangladesh is currently experiencing a fluid political situation with protests primarily led by students demanding an end to a quota system for government jobs, which have evolved into broader and violent anti-government demonstrations.
Sheikh Hasina arrived in India on Monday evening after her resignation, and it is unclear if she will stay in Delhi or move to another location. The former prime minister landed at Hindon Air Base in a C-130 transport aircraft, monitored by the IAF and security agencies.