Thu Feb 06 10:29:38 UTC 2025: ## Bangladesh Protesters Demolish Memorial to Founding Father, Target Awami League Leaders’ Homes

**DHAKA, BANGLADESH** – Pro-democracy protestors in Bangladesh engaged in widespread vandalism and demolition of properties linked to the ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her family on February 5th and 6th, 2025. The violence followed a social media call for a “bulldozer procession” timed to coincide with Ms. Hasina’s virtual address from exile in India.

The most significant act of vandalism involved the demolition of a memorial at the former residence of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Bangladesh’s founding father and Ms. Hasina’s father, in Dhaka’s Dhanmondi area. Protesters set fire to the building, and an excavator was used to complete its destruction. Adjacent buildings housing Awami League offices also suffered similar fates. Murals depicting Mujibur Rahman were defaced across the country.

The home of Ms. Hasina’s late husband, Wajed Mian, was also set ablaze. Similar attacks targeted the homes of her cousins, Sheikh Helal Uddin and Sheikh Salauddin Jewel, in Khulna, and other Awami League officials in Kushtia and Chattogram. In Chattogram, protestors also defaced murals of Mujibur Rahman at several locations, including Chittagong Medical College and Begum Rokeya University. Even the name of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was removed from a Dhaka University hall.

The violence was sparked by a Facebook post from Anti-Discrimination Students Movement leader Hasnat Abdullah calling for the “liberation” of Bangladesh. Thousands participated in the demonstrations, chanting slogans against Mujibur Rahman and the Awami League. One protest in Barishal even involved the use of a bulldozer to target the home of a relative of Ms. Hasina.

In her address, Ms. Hasina condemned the actions, stating that while buildings could be demolished, history and its consequences could not be erased. She appealed to the people of Bangladesh for justice. A key advisor to Bangladesh’s interim government called for a shift from destructive actions to constructive initiatives, emphasizing the need to build a counter-hegemony to replace the “fascist system” of the Awami League.

Ms. Hasina, who fled Bangladesh in August 2024 following a student-led uprising that ended her 16-year rule, has been living in India since. The attacks highlight the deep political divisions within Bangladesh and the intense fallout from the recent change in government.

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