Mujib’s house reduced to rubbles
Protesters set fire to the building again around 12:30pm
The demolition of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's Dhanmondi 32 residence in the capital resumed this morning after a few hours' break. People with rods and hammers along with an excavator continued to dismantle the building from 7am to 9am.
However, the excavator was taken out of the scene as it was reportedly contracted till 9am. Those present there said a group of people went to hire another excavator.
Around 12:30pm, protesters set fire to the house again following the demolition of the main building. The fire quickly spread to the adjacent building on the right, prompting urgent dispersement of the crowd as the flames continued to engulf the collapsed structure.
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Demonstrators gathered at the site, chanting slogans such as "Nara-e-Takbeer," "Chhi Chhi Hasina, lojjay bachi na," and "Delhi na Dhaka, Dhaka, Dhaka", reports UNB.
Amid the chaos, the crowd assaulted two individuals, including a woman, in front of the house for allegedly speaking in favour of the Awami League.
Many reiterated their determination to stay at the site until the house was completely torn down. No report of any untoward situation came as of filing this report at 10pm.
Around 8:30pm on Wednesday, a group of agitated people, including students, first vandalised and set fire to the house. The destruction and arson continued for hours, and around 11:10pm, the agitators brought an excavator to the spot.
Sudha Sadan, the residence of Hasina's late husband Dr MA Wazed Miah in Dhanmondi-5 area, was also set on fire by another group. The demonstration in the capital fuelled similar actions in other districts as well.
The demolition followed a social media call for a "Bulldozer Procession Towards Dhanmondi 32", triggered by ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina's scheduled 9pm virtual address to her party's banned student wing, Chhatra League.
Although demonstrators had initially threatened to bulldoze the house at 9pm, they arrived earlier, by 8pm, ahead of Hasina's virtual address, which was broadcast online.
According to the agitators in Dhanmondi, the house, long associated with Mujib and his family, symbolises "authoritarianism and fascism."
DMP 'tried to control situation'
The Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) yesterday said they tried to control the vandalism and demolishment of the building.
"We tried to control the situation; we tried. I was there myself until late at night [on Wednesday]," DMP Commissioner Sheikh M Shazzat Ali told the media yesterday.
However, journalists present on the occasion countered the DMP commissioner's statement, saying the police remained largely inactive and that there was no police presence in the area after 9pm Wednesday.
Reporters from The Business Standard, who covered the overnight demolition of the building, and other media outlets also said they did not see any police presence on the western part of Mirpur Road - where the Bangabandhu Memorial Museum is located - after 9pm.
Many who covered Wednesday night's incident said no journalist had seen the DMP commissioner at the scene either, our correspondent reported.
A TBS correspondent saw a few people standing silently next to a police van on the main road of Mirpur Road around 8:30pm. However, after 9pm, they changed direction and went towards the bus counters on the Kalabagan side.
Upon contacting the control room of the Fire Service and Civil Defence headquarters, the duty officer said they had informed the police and the army after receiving reports of the fire.
"However, they refused to provide security," he said.
Assault at scene
According to eyewitnesses, around 11am yesterday, a man went in front of the house at Dhanmondi 32 and began chanting "Joy Bangla."
The agitated crowd then attacked him, beating him until he collapsed to the ground. Several individuals later moved him away in an injured state, and at one point, he was seen being placed on a rickshaw.
A few moments later, a middle-aged woman stood in front of the demolished house and spoke in favour of the Awami League.
She repeatedly referred to the house as "Apa's house", meaning the residence of Hasina. This led to a heated argument between her and the angry crowd, which ultimately escalated into an assault.
A journalist present at the scene told Prothom Alo that the woman was dragged towards the main road while being beaten. She repeatedly pleaded with them not to hit her. Eventually, a few individuals helped her get on a rickshaw. Her identity remains unknown.
