Library vandalised in Dhaka alleging ‘Awami League collaborators’ meet there
A library in the Rajuk Uttara Apartment Project residential area of Dhaka was vandalised late on Thursday night raising allegations that “collaborators of the Awami League” frequently gather there.
During the incident, books, chairs, tables, and other equipment were reportedly looted.
The library is operated by a local cricket club, United Brothers.
According to police and local sources, a physical altercation occurred on Thursday evening outside a shop near Gate 4 of the apartment complex, when one individual was assaulted.
Following this, a clash broke out between two groups former leaders of the Turag unit of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement — Rasel Hossain, Habibul Bashar, and Abrar Hanif — and followers of Mostafiz Habib Sunam inside the complex around 2:30 am Friday. Several people, including Rasel Hossain, sustained injuries.
People involved with running the library said that the vandalism was carried out by the former leaders of Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, raising allegations that an attack was carried out on them by taking sticks from inside the library. The attackers also alleged that collaborators of the Bangladesh Awami League meet there.
Abdullah Fahad, president of United Brothers Club, filed a written complaint with Turag police, stating that both the library and the club’s temporary office were vandalised.
According to the complaint, nearly Tk 250,000 worth of property, including books, 40 chairs, five tables, four CCTV cameras, a hard drive, a router, 30 floodlights from the club’s grounds, and cricket equipment, were stolen. Overall, the damage to the office and library was estimated at approximately Tk 300,000.
Speaking about this, Fahad told Prothom Alo, “Our library was vandalised due to a conflict between the two groups. This attack was carried out by tagging that ‘the Awami League collaborators gather here’.”
However, former Anti-Discrimination Student Movement leader Rasel Hossain claimed that his group was attacked inside the library by a 20–30‑strong team wielding machetes, stumps, and rods.
“My hand has been broken in the assault. In anger, general people damaged whatever sticks they found, but the library itself was not destroyed. False claims of library vandalism are being circulated to misrepresent the incident,” he said.
Mostafiz Habib Sunam, involved in the dispute, alleged that former student leaders of the Anti-Discrimination Movement had been running illegal shops in the residential area and extorting money.
“When two youths, Ratul and Parvez, were assaulted near the shop, I tried to intervene, but Rasel Hossain, Abrar Hanif and others misbehaved. That is why younger brothers with me beat them. Later, they carried out the heinous act of vandalising a library,” he said.
Turag police officer-in-charge Monir Hossain told Prothom Alo that police were aware of the library vandalism resulting from the dispute, but it was impossible to identify the perpetrators as the incident took place in the darkness of night.