Police charge baton, fire sound grenades as demonstrators gather at Dhanmondi 32 again
However, two army personnel were injured by the blast of a sound grenade and were taken to the hospital.
Police baton-charged and fired sound grenades to disperse demonstrators who gathered at Dhanmondi 32 again this afternoon (17 November).
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The crowd had marched from Kalabagan, Panthapath signal, and the area near Dhanmondi 27, but law enforcement blocked their entry and maintained a heavy security presence.
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However, two army personnel were injured by the blast of a sound grenade and were taken to the hospital.
Earlier, police and army personnel took control of Dhanmondi 32, dispersing demonstrators who had arrived with two excavators this morning.
The group attempted to enter the site, once Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's residence and later the Bangabandhu Memorial Museum, but law enforcement blocked them and kept the excavators on the main road, maintaining a heavy security presence.
The excavators were brought to the site at 11:50am on two trucks. Police set up barricades at the entrance of Dhanmondi 32, preventing the excavators from entering and forcing them to remain near the adjacent Metro Shopping Mall.
The demonstrators were chased toward Kalabagan, Panthapath signal, and the area near Dhanmondi 27, with police and army personnel remaining aggressive and asking pedestrians to move away.
At one point, a group threw bricks and stones at the house. After a while, they went back to the main road again. It was not immediately clear which organisation or group the demonstrators belonged to.
People from various colleges, along with general citizens, were also present. The bulldozers were still positioned on the main road as of 12:50pm.
There was also a heavy presence of army personnel in the area.
Speaking to The Business Standard, college student Jahid said the programme has been organised to press for the "maximum punishment" for former prime minister Sheikh Hasina over allegations of mass killings.
He claimed, "Sheikh Mujib established the Awami League as a fascist force through Baksal, and Sheikh Hasina continued that legacy for the last 17 years."
Jahid added that their symbolic action is meant to "eradicate fascism" by bulldozing the house at Dhanmondi 32.
Several other students accompanied the bulldozers as they moved toward the site.
Authorities have not issued any formal statement yet regarding the procession.
The Bangabandhu Memorial Museum, also known as Dhanmondi 32, was a museum located in Dhanmondi, Dhaka, which was once the residence of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the founding president of Bangladesh.
In February this year, it was demolished by a group of protesters, following the ouster of his daughter, Sheikh Hasina, as prime minister last year in the face of a student-led mass uprising.
