Dhaka, February 6 (The Daily Star): Protesters last night torched and tore down parts of the Dhanmondi-32 residence of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, after calls in social media for demolishing what they said was a “pilgrimage site of fascism”.

An event titled “Bulldozer Procession” was scheduled for 9:00pm, timed to coincide with an online programme where deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina was slated to speak. The virtual event was announced by the now-banned Chhatra League, the student wing of the Awami League.

However, hundreds of protesters stormed the building and began taking it apart with shovels and hammers around 8:00pm, an hour before the planned procession. A mural of Mujib was also wrecked, witnesses said.

By around 9:30pm, the building was set on fire. A little before midnight, at least one crane and one excavator reached the spot, and by the time this report was filed around 2:00am today, parts of the building were razed to the ground.

According to some social media posts, the protest was in response to “Hasina’s anti-Bangladesh activities from Delhi,” where she fled on August 5.

At the scene, protesters chanted various slogans such as “Fashi Fashi Fashi Chai, Sheikh Hasinar Fashi Chai (Hang, hang, hang — Sheikh Hasina must be hanged!); Sara Banglae Khobor De, Mujibbader Kobor De (Let all of Bangladesh know—let’s bury Mujibism!); Awami League-er Pretatta, Bangladeshe Thakbe Na (There will be no place for Awami League’s ghosts in Bangladesh!); Delhi Na Dhaka? Dhaka, Dhaka (Delhi or Dhaka? Dhaka, Dhaka!); and Inquilab Zindabad (Long live revolution!)”

One protester demanded that the AL be banned. “Awami League won’t be allowed to participate in any election in Bangladesh,” he said.

Law enforcers were seen nearby the spot since the beginning. At around 12:40pm, police took position in front of Metro Shopping Mall, yards away from the scene. No firefighters reached the spot as of midnight.

Army personnel went to the spot around 9:30pm, and took position on the main street. Later, they left the area, witnesses said.

“We don’t want to keep the memory of any murderer in Bangladesh. Today, we stand against all the murderers … We don’t need any security forces here,” one protester told this correspondent.

Home Adviser Jahangir Alam Chowdhury, Inspector General of Police Baharul Alam and Dhaka Metropolitan Police Commissioner SM Sazzat Ali did not respond when this paper tried to reach them.

Meanwhile, protesters also set fire to Sudha Sadan, the Dhanmondi residence of Hasina’s late husband and nuclear scientist MA Wazed Miah, around 11:00pm.

Fire service duty officer Rakibul Hasan said they received reports that the Sudha Sadan was set ablaze around 11:30pm.

“We have also received reports of the arson at Dhanmondi 32. We are acting according to the situation,” he said.

Earlier around 7:30pm, The Daily Star spoke to Masud Alam, deputy commissioner (Ramna Division) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police about the security situation centring on the planned procession. He said they had no knowledge of any plan for attack on Dhanmondi 32.

DMP Additional Commissioner SN Nazrul Islam too said they were unaware of the “Bulldozer Procession”.

The announcement of Hasina’s virtual address came on Tuesday, and the calls for demolishing the Dhanmondi-32 residence soon followed in social media.

One poster, shared in a Facebook group named “Basherkella” around 3:00pm, shows a bulldozer in front of Mujib’s portrait at Dhanmondi 32. Similar posters have been widely shared across Facebook pages.

 “All activists and coordinators have agreed to tear down the house number 32. A massive showdown is expected today [yesterday]. Everyone, bring your bulldozers and join in,” Ratul Mohammad, spokesperson for a platform called People’s Activists Coalition (PAC), wrote in his Facebook page around 4:00pm.

An hour before, July Revolutionary Alliance from its Facebook page made the similar calls.

Later in the evening, Hasnat Abdullah, convener of the Students Against Discrimination, wrote in his Facebook, “Tonight, Bangladesh will be freed from the grip of fascism.”

Paris-based vlogger Pinaki Bhattacharya also made a similar call in his Facebook page. He urged everyone to head to Dhanmondi 32 and finish it off this time.

Earlier in the day, Hasnat Abdullah warned media outlets against broadcasting Hasina’s speech, saying it would amount to promoting her agenda.

“Even now, we see hesitation in naming the real perpetrators. Some media outlets still refer to her as a former prime minister. Is she just a former leader or is she the Butcher of this Motherland?” Hasnat told a press conference at the office of the Students Against Discrimination in the capital’s Bangla Motor.

Jatiya Nagorik Committee and the Students Against Discrimination arranged the press conference regarding the launch of a public opinion campaign titled “New Bangladesh Through Your Eyes”.

Hasnat said, “She [Hasina] killed 2,000 people to cling to power. Yet, the media does not call her a fascist murderer. If you fail to do so, you are still keeping the pro-Awami media spirit alive.

“If any media outlet broadcasts Hasina’s speech, it will be assumed that they are still promoting her and have taken a stance against the aspirations of the people.”

https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/news/dhanmondi-32-ripped-apart-3817356

Houses of Awami League leaders demolished   

Protesters demolished homes of Awami League leaders and defaced murals of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in different parts of the country last night and early today.   

Yesterday evening, they demolished the Khulna home of Sheikh Hasina’s cousins Sheikh Helal Uddin and Sheikh Salauddin Jewel when the Dhanmondi-32 residence of Sheikh Mujib was being pulled down in Dhaka.

Around 8:30pm, a large crowd, including students and locals, began demolishing the Sheikh Bari in Khulna’s Moylapota area.

Thousands of people gathered around the house, chanting “Delhi or Dhaka — Dhaka, Dhaka” and “Down with Mujibism”.

At 9:30pm, when a small excavator failed to break the gate, a larger one was brought in. Many people used sticks and sledgehammers to break down the boundary walls. Around 9:00pm, a fire was seen on the roof of the house.

Ahsan Habib, additional deputy commissioner of Khulna Metropolitan Police, told The Daily Star, “I have seen the news of the incident on Facebook, but I don’t have further information.”

Sheikh Helal was the former MP of Bagerhat-1 and Sheikh Salahuddin Jewel was the former MP of Khulna-2.

In Kushtia, homes of former lawmaker of Kushtia-3 and Awami League Joint General Secretary Mahbubul Alam Hanif and Sadar Khan, president of Kushtia Awami League, were ransacked .

Around 10:00pm, a group of protesters gathered around Hanif’s three-storey home on PTI Road with an excavator in tow.

They attempted to break down the structure for about half an hour, but only managed to smash the gate and its supporting pillars.

Another group charged towards Sadar Khan’s house around 11:00pm.

Protesters in Chattogram yesterday took out a torch procession to demonstrate against Sheikh Hasina’s speech, which was broadcast from Bangladesh Awami League’s social media handles last night.

They later defaced Sheikh Mujib’s murals at Chittagong Medical College and in the city’s Jamal Khan area.

Around 10:00pm, a group of 20-25 people  defaced a small mural in front of the old academic building at Chittagong Medical College. Some of them had hammers in their hands, while others carried stones.

The mural contained a portrait of Mujib.

The procession then moved to the Jamal Khan area. The protesters used hammers to deface a mural of Sheikh Mujib that was on a wall there.

Demonstrators damaged another mural of him in front of Sylhet deputy commissioner’s office around 9:30pm. Before that, leaders and activists of Students Against Discrimination held a protest rally, and a sit-in in the Bandar Bazar area around 8:30pm.

Around 1:15am in Rangpur today, the mural of Mujib at Begum Rokeya University was defaced by the protesters.

Witnesses said around 10:00pm, a group of protesters gathered in front of the university’s administrative building, wielding hammers and iron rods.

Around 11:50pm, they brought in an excavator and completely tore down the mural.

They also took down the nameplates from Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Hall and Sheikh Fazilatunnessa Mujib Hall.

In Barishal city, demonstrators brought a bulldozer to the house of Serniabat Sadiq Abdullah, former mayor of the city corporation and Sheikh Hasina’s relative. He owns a two-storey home in the city’s Kalibari Road area.

The demolition process was underway when this report was filed at 1:15am.

Protesters vandalised a mural of Bangabandhu near the Circuit House ground in Mymensingh city with hammers and crowbars around 11:30pm yesterday, reports Prothom Alo.

The “Mujib Mural” of Bangabandhu Hall was also vandalised at the National Poet Kazi Nazrul Islam University in Trishal.

The mural of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and Fazilatunnesa Mujib at the Chuadanga deputy commissioner’s office was demolished around 12:15am today, the Bangla daily added.

In Bhairab, Kishoreganj, the protesters vandalised the mural of Mujib at the upazila Awami League office and at the upazila parishad last night.

https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/news/houses-al-leaders-smashed-3817361

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