Bangladesh warns of stern action after house linked to ousted PM destroyed

Bangladesh’s interim government headed by Nobel Peace laureate Muhammad Yunus said it will contain violence taking place across the country amid concerns over attacks on a historic house linked to ousted former prime minister Sheikh Hasina.

Mobs targeting supporters of Ms Hasina have vandalised homes and businesses in parts of the country since Wednesday night.

Many of the properties belonging to former politicians, Cabinet members and the leaders of Ms Hasina’s Awami League party were set on fire, apparently as part of a co-ordinated campaign involving the former home of Bangladesh’s independence leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman — Ms Hasina’s father — in Dhaka, the capital.

Early Friday, the press office of Mr Yunus warned in a brief statement that stern actions would be taken against such acts of violence.

“The interim government notes with deep concern that some individuals and groups are attempting to vandalise and torch various institutions and establishments across the country. The government will strongly contain such acts,” the statement said.

It said the government was ready to protect the safety of life and property of the people.

The statement came more than 24 hours after the attack on the building from where Mr Rahman declared Bangladesh’s independence in 1971.

The Wednesday night attack followed a day-long campaign on social media by Hasina critics and student leaders.

They declared a “bulldozer procession” toward the house, which was turned into a museum by Ms Hasina. As the protesters stormed the building, police stood by. A team of military soldiers later attempted to stop them but then left.

An intelligence official in Dhaka told The Associated Press that there were reports of some 70 attacks across Bangladesh since Wednesday following the vandalism and arson in Mr Rahman’s home.

The country’s leading English-language Daily Star reported on Friday that acts of violence targeting Ms Hasina’s supporters took place in at least 20 districts.

Channel 24 TV station in Dhaka reported violence in at least 35 districts across the country. The station said the village home of a veteran politician from Ms Hasina’s party and former Bangladesh president, Abdul Hamid, was one of the targets.

In a statement on Friday, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party headed by former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, Ms Hasina’s main political rival, urged the Yunus-led government to “bring the situation under control”.

“Otherwise, anarchy will spread across the country. It is a timely demand for us to urge the stringent implementation of law and order and to make the state’s and government’s role more visible,” the statement said.

India, which aided Bangladesh to gain independence from Pakistan in a bloody war in 1971, in a statement on Thursday condemned the demolition of Mr Rahman’s house, calling the site a symbol of a “heroic resistance”.

It highlighted the role of the residence in the formation of Bangladesh’s national identity.

“All those who value the freedom struggle that nurtured Bangla identity and pride are aware of the importance of this residence for the national consciousness of Bangladesh. This act of vandalism should be strongly condemned,” the statement reads.

Bangladeshi political analyst Nazmul Ahsan Kalimullah said such violence could pose a serious threat to the aspiration of a democratic transition through an election.

“The overlook by the state in preventing such acts of vandalism and anarchy from happening could ignite further chaos. These should not be ignored,” he said on Thursday.

Mr Yunus has said a new election will be held either in December or by June 2026.