Vandalism begins at Sheikh Bari in Khulna, spreads across districts

Vandalism erupted at Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s residence on Dhanmondi-32 in Dhaka on Wednesday night. Since then, murals of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and his family members, as well as homes of Awami League leaders and party offices, have been attacked, vandalised, and set on fire in various districts outside Dhaka.

The wave of destruction outside the capital began with the demolition of ‘Sheikh Bari,’ the home of ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s uncle in Khulna. Vandalism and arson have since been reported in multiple districts across the Chattogram, Rajshahi, Khulna, Rangpur, Mymensingh, Barishal, and Sylhet divisions.

The Sheikh Bari was demolished in Khulna on Wednesday evening.  Leaders and activists of the anti-discrimination student movement started to demolish the residence at around 9:00 pm with two bulldozers from the city corporation.

During the vandalism, they were chanting slogans against Sheikh Hasina, Awami League, Jubo League, and Chhatra League. 

Located in the Moylapota area of Khulna city, the Sheikh Bari was home to Sheikh Hasina’s cousins Sheikh Helal Uddin and Sheikh Sohel Uddin and some other family members. They used to control regional politics of the Awami League from the residence. 

Earlier on 4 August, the building was set on fire during anti-government protests. Following the uprising on 5 August, it was looted, vandalised and torched again, leaving the concrete structure only.

The residence of Awami League joint general secretary and former Kushtia-3 (Sadar) MP Mahbub Ul Alam Hanif was partially demolished with an excavator in Kushtia. A group of people, under the banner of anti-discrimination students and people, began vandalising the house at 10:00 pm on Wednesday. 

According to witnesses, an excavator first tore down the main gate and boundary wall, while the protesters were chanting – ‘burn the dictator’s den.’ The vandalism continued until 10:30 pm.

Earlier, students and other demonstrators marched to the residence with a torch procession from the upazila intersection. 

Meanwhile, protesting students removed the names of Sheikh Hasina and her family members from three halls of the Islamic University in Kushtia. They also hung posters of Sheikh Hasina on a broken mural of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on the campus and threw shoes at them for about 30 minutes.

During an excavator procession of the anti-discrimination student movement, four murals of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Mujib were vandalised in Chuadanga district town last night. Besides, the district Awami League office was attacked and damaged.

The protest was led by Aslam Hossain, convener of the anti-discrimination student movement's Chuadanga district unit, and Saffatul Islam, its member secretary. 

At 10:00 pm, students and general people gathered in the town, marched towards the deputy commissioner’s office, and vandalised the murals there with hammers and other local weapons. At 12:00 pm, two murals were demolished with an excavator.

At around 12:30 am, they moved to the district Awami League office with a procession and demolished a mural of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on its premises. Later, they destroyed another mural in front of the upazila parishad.

Seven sculptures, murals, and nameplates of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and Sheikh Hasina were vandalised in Jashore. From 11:30 pm to midnight, protesters – mainly students – damaged the structures using hammers. 

Rashed Khan, convener of the anti-discrimination student movement’s Jashore unit, said their district committee did not issue any instructions to vandalise the Bangabandhu mural. Also, they were not aware of the vandalism. 

Meanwhile, a mural of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and a sculpture of former education minister ASHK Sadeq were also vandalised on Wednesday night. 

People started demolishing the houses of former mayor and city Awami League leader Sadiq Abdullah and senior Awami League leader Amir Hossain Amu with bulldozers since Wednesday night.

The leaders of Anti-Discrimination Student Movement (ADSM) gathered in front of Sadiq Abdullah’s residence on Kalibari Road around 1:00 am last night. While the agitated students had already brought a bulldozer, they were unable to use it due to obstruction from the Army personnel.

Half an hour later, they started demolishing Sadiq Abdullah’s house with the bulldozer. Around 1:30 am, at one point of vandalism surrounding the residence, a portion on the ground floor of the house was razed to the ground. Later, the second floor of the building was set on fire. 

Convener of anti-discrimination student movement in Barisal town, Shahidul Islam, who was present at the scene, told journalists that the agitated mob was demolishing the remnants of the enablers of fascism.

Sadiq Abdullah’s father, former parliament member and Barishal City Awami League president Abul Hasnat Abdullah is a paternal cousin of ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina.

Meanwhile, people started demolishing Amir Hossain Amu’s residence on Bogura Road in Barishal city with a bulldozer around 2:00 am last night. The leaders and activists of ADSM along with other students demolished the ground floor of the three-story building till Thursday morning.

The residence of Awami League advisory council member and former Bhola-1 MP Tofail Ahmed was vandalised and set on fire on Wednesday night. The fire continued burning until the next morning.

According to witnesses, a group of aggrieved people broke through the gate of Priya Kutir on the Gazipur road in Bhola Sadar and carried out extensive vandalism there. They smashed doors and windows, removed portraits, crests, and documents from the walls, and set them ablaze on the street. Some furniture and fans were also looted.

An agitated mob has vandalised and set fire to the houses owned by former Pirojpur lawmaker AKMA Awal and his brother former mayor Habibur Rahman. The incident occurred in the Parherhat area of the town around 1:00 am Thursday.

Agitated student-people demonstrated in a large scale across the country on Wednesday centering an announcement of a speech to be broadcast by ousted autocratic prime minister Sheikh Hasina who fled to India.

Local sources say protest processions were held by enraged students and people in different parts of the town. At one point, the agitated mob vandalised and set fire to the houses of AKMA Awal and his brother and Pirojpur Awami League vice-president Habibur Rahman. 

Both houses have been subjected to arson several times on 5 and 6 August. The houses have been abandoned since then. AKMA Awal went into hiding on 5 August. He has been accused in a number of cases.

Besides, a filling station owned by Habibur Rahaman in the Bus Stand area of the town was vandalised last night.

Apart from that, the toll booth of Baleshwar Bridge and district Jubo League president Akhtaruzzaman’s house in the Shankarpasha union of the upazila was set on fire.

Anti-Discrimination students and people declared the Kishoreganj district office of Bangladesh Awami League as a “public toilet”. They wrote “public toilet” on the wall of the party’s deserted office building at Kishoreganj Sadar station road around 10:45 pm Wednesday.

At the same time, the agitated student-people tore down a mural of Sheikh Mujib.

Witnesses said the abandoned Kishoreganj AL’s office building was set on fire Wednesday night. Earlier, the building was vandalised after the fall of the AL government on 5 August last year. Since then the building has been lying unused.

Later, the mural of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, installed in front of District Freedom Fighters’ Complex in Kharampotti area.

Ashraf Ali, one of the organisers of Kishoreganj chapter of the Anti-Discrimination Movement, said Sheikh Hasina has been trying to create anarchy in Bangladesh fleeing to India while banned organisation Bangladesh Chhatar League men have been distributing leaflets at different places.

He stated that the house at Dhanmondi 32 in Dhaka has been demolished in protest against the speech of Sheikh Hasina from India. In continuation of that, anti-discrimination student-people wrote “public toilet” on the wall of the district Awami League office and knocked down the mural of Sheikh Mujib.

Awami League general secretary Obaidul Quader's village home in Companiganj upazila of Noakhali, was attacked, vandalised and set on fire by agitated students and members of the public.

The incident took place today, Thursday, at around 1:00 PM. Neither Obaidul Quader nor any members of his brother’s family were present at the residence at the time.

Eyewitnesses reported that at around 1:00 PM, several hundred agitated students and members of the public, armed with sticks, stormed Obaidul Quader’s village home in Bara Rajapur village, under the Basurhat pourashava of Companiganj. The attackers forcefully entered the two-storey concrete building belonging to his younger brother, Abdul Quader Mirza- former mayor of Basurhat pourashava and president of the Companiganj upazila Awami League-and carried out extensive vandalism.

Prior to this incident, on 5 August the same residence was attacked, vandalised and set on fire by agitated students and members of the public. Following the event, Abdul Quader Mirza had undertaken renovation work on the house through his relatives a few days ago. After the completion of the renovation, a second round of vandalism was carried out today. However, during the attack, neither Abdul Quader Mirza nor any members of his family were present at the house.

Individuals present during the attack informed Prothom Alo that, in addition to the main residence of Obaidul Quader and his brother Abdul Quader Mirza, there is a separate single-storey house belonging to their other brother, Shahadat Hossain, located nearby in the village. The attack began at 1:00 PM and continued until 2:30 PM. During this time, many of the attackers looted household items, including blankets and mattresses. Subsequently, they removed furniture from one of the houses, placed it on an old vehicle and set it on fire. Additionally, a tin-roofed structure in front of Shahadat Hossain’s residence was also set ablaze.

At the scene, Mohammad Ariful Islam, the district coordinator of the Noakhali branch of the anti-discrimination student movement, spoke to the journalists. He stated that numerous people in Companiganj had suffered oppression and persecution at the hands of the Obaidul Quader and his brother Quader Mirza’s associates. According to him, today’s attack and vandalism were an expression of the accumulated anger against them. He further mentioned that students and members of the public from all walks of life participated in the incident. He warned that if any future government engages in fascist behaviour while in power, they will face a similar fate.

At 1:30 PM, the Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Companiganj police station, Mohammad Fouzul Islam, told Prothom Alo that he was at the office of the district superintendent of police on official duty. He confirmed that the inspector had gathered information regarding the incident. Based on preliminary findings, it was confirmed that the residence of Awami League general secretary Obaidul Quader had been attacked and vandalised by agitated students and members of the public.

Similar attacks and vandalism took place in some other districts, including Sylhet, Sunamganj, Rangpur, Rajshahi, Natore, Pabna, Mymensingh, Chattogram, Cumilla, and Narayanganj.