Mob fury on 5 Aug: Innocent businesses caught in crossfire

While the nation celebrated its freedom from tyranny, Sumon Chandra (not his real name) was in shock as he learned that everything he had earned over 35 years of hard work had been destroyed in a violent mob attack. 

On 5 August, shortly after Sheikh Hasina resigned and fled the country, a group of agitated men stormed Hassan Plaza in Karwan Bazar, where his travel agency was located.

"I don't know how to recover from this loss," said Sumon, his eyes swollen from days of crying. "I'm just an innocent businessman with no political ties, yet everything I built over the years was destroyed in hours."

He continued, "After breaking into my vault, the attackers took all of my wife's gold ornaments, including our wedding jewellery, and the cash stored in the office. They left nothing behind except the clients' passports, which we found scattered around."

According to security personnel at the building, a mob of around 500-600 men, armed with sticks and hockey sticks, forced their way in, ignoring all pleas to stop. They chanted slogans like, "Down with ATN News, down with Hasina's collaborators."

Building owner M Sayeed Hassan told TBS that the mob's initial target was ATN News, but upon entering, they began vandalising the building's lift and glass doors. They proceeded to loot offices, destroy furniture, and cause extensive damage on every floor.

Beginning on the second floor, as the ground and first floors were vacant, the mob broke into offices, stole valuables, and smashed furniture, he said. 

"All offices were closed at the time, so no employees were present. Fortunately, there were no casualties, but had the offices been open, it could have resulted in significant loss of life."

Sayeed mentioned that businesses such as Mak Travels and Tours, Groz-Beckert Bangladesh, Advance Travel and Tourism, Printech Corporation Ltd, and Islam Jahid & Co were among the hardest hit.

"Divine Engineers Ltd and Business Travel Service also suffered severe damage as the attackers moved towards their main target, the ATN News offices on the 7th to 12th floors. At ATN News, they committed acts of vandalism and stole several computers," he continued.

"Because ATN News was located here, these innocent businesses were destroyed," Hassan lamented. Two cars parked in front of the building were also set on fire.

"We've asked ATN News to vacate the building. Although they are our largest tenant, we can't risk such incidents happening again," Sayeed said. 

The building owner estimated the cost of building repairs to be around Tk25 lakh. However, the combined losses for the businesses are expected to reach Tk4-Tk5 crore. The affected companies are still calculating the full extent of their damage.

On a visit to the building last week, TBS observed extensive devastation. Shattered glass walls and unrecognisable offices marked the scene. Most offices were locked, with only a few workers attempting repairs. Company officials who were present were too distraught to speak to the media.

For businessmen like Sumon and others, the road to recovery will be long and arduous. "It may take years to rebuild what we lost in just a few hours," Sumon said.

He recounted, "After the attack, I tried to file a general diary at the police station, but the officers advised me to file a case instead. However, filing a case demands more time, energy, and money than I can afford right now. So, I did nothing—neither a general diary nor a case. I've left it in God's hands."

The attack has left business owners and employees in a state of devastation, uncertain about how to move forward. Sumon added, "Like many others, I may have to take out a loan just to keep the business afloat."