‘Remember, history takes its revenge’: Sheikh Hasina as protesters set her father’s house on fire

Bangladesh: A large group of demonstrators vandalised and set fire to the historic residence of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the founder of Bangladesh, on Wednesday. The incident coincided with a live online address by his daughter, Sheikh Hasina, the country's deposed prime minister. 

The residence, located in Dhaka’s Dhanmondi area, had been converted into a memorial museum, honouring Sheikh Mujibur's role in the pre-independence movement. Thousands had gathered in response to a social media call for a 'Bulldozer Procession', coinciding with Hasina's planned address at 9 pm BST. 

During her speech, organised by the now-disbanded Chhatra League, Sheikh Hasina urged the Bangladeshi people to resist the current regime, led by Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus. "They are yet to have the strength to destroy the national flag, the constitution and the independence that we earned at the cost of lives of millions of martyrs with a bulldozer," Hasina stated, referencing Yunus' government. She further remarked, "They can demolish a building, but not the history … but they must also remember that the history takes its revenge." 

The Anti-Discrimination Students Movement, which supports the current regime, has vowed to abolish the 1972 Constitution and has suggested alterations to the national anthem.

The Dhanmondi residence, which Hasina and her sister had donated to a trust, was earlier set alight on August 5 last year, leading Hasina to flee to India. The house holds significant historical value, as it was from this location that Sheikh Mujib led the autonomy movement before Bangladesh's independence. 

The atmosphere at the scene was tense as army troops attempted to intervene, only to be met with resistance from the protesters. Demonstrators defaced a mural of Sheikh Mujib on the property’s boundary wall, leaving a graffiti message reading, "There won’t be 32 anymore." 

Abdul Hannan Masud, a key organiser of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, also called for the demolition of residences belonging to former Awami League MPs and ministers, suggesting new constructions in their place.

In her address, Hasina criticised the use of students in what she described as an orchestrated movement by Yunus to seize state power, urging them to focus on their education instead. Meanwhile, the interim government led by Home Adviser Lt Gen (retd.) Md Jahangir Alam Chowdhury is reportedly making efforts to secure Hasina's return from India under an extradition treaty. Bangladesh's International Crimes Tribunal has issued arrest warrants for Hasina and several former officials on charges of 'crimes against humanity and genocide'.