Former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has issued an emotional statement after a mob vandalized and set fire to the historic residence of her father, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, in Dhaka. She stated that although the structure may be destroyed, history of her family could never be erased.
These remarks have been made by Hasina, who has been living in India since her ouster in August 2024. The remarks were in the form of an audio address shared on her Awami League party’s Facebook account. “Why do they fear a house? We live for those memories of Dhanmondi. A structure can be erased, but history cannot be wiped out,” she said, her voice breaking with emotion.
The assault occurred on Wednesday as Hasina spoke to rally-goers in a function led by the defunct student front of the Awami League, Chhatra League. Thousands of protesters had gathered outside the house in Dhanmondi, responding to a social media call for a “Bulldozer Procession.” The residence was an important venue in Bangladesh’s independence movement; it has since been transformed into the Bangabandhu Memorial Museum after the Hasina siblings donated it to the state.
The house had earlier been attacked on August 5, 2024, when Hasina’s nearly 16-year rule was overthrown by a massive student-led protest forcing her and her sister Sheikh Rehana to flee to India. In her speech, Hasina accused the present government, led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, of plotting to wipe out Mujibur Rahman’s legacy.
Hasina also appealed to her followers to resist the present government. “They are yet to acquire the energy to destroy the national flag, the constitution, and the independence we obtained through the blood of millions of martyrs at the cost of a bulldozer,” she said, referring in a veiled attack to the student movement that had toppled her government. The movement had vowed to scrap Bangladesh’s 1972 Constitution, with some far-right groups even proposing a change to the national anthem.
Recalling multiple assassination attempts on her life, Hasina claimed the current administration had plotted to kill her and her sister. “The meticulous plan by Muhammad Yunus this time was to kill me and my sister,” she alleged. She further criticized Yunus for mishandling money meant for Grameen Bank, claiming her administration had furnished 400 crore Bangladeshi taka, which is laundered in the process.
Addressing the students, Hasina urged them not to be manipulated into political agendas. “At this age, it is easy to be manipulated,” she warned, urging them to focus on their studies for the betterment of the country.
