Khalid Umar Malik
07 Feb 2025, 15:34 GMT+10
DHAKA, Bangladesh - Thousands of demonstrators in Bangladesh stormed and damaged a house associated with exiled former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
The landmark, which has historically been associated with Bangladesh's independence, has been a flashpoint for political tensions since Hasina departed from the country.
The upheaval was started by a speech Hasina intended to give from exile in India, where she left last year amid a student-led revolt against her 15-year term.
The mansion in Dhaka, which was once the home of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Bangladesh's founding leader and Hasina's father, was historically significant. Mujibur Rahman declared independence from Pakistan in 1971 from this place, and he was assassinated in 1975. Hasina eventually turned it into a museum.
In recent months, the site has become a source of dispute for Hasina supporters and opponents. Protesters threatened to demolish the structure if she proceeded with her speech. As she spoke, they assaulted the house, destroying its walls before putting in a crane and excavator to demolish it.
Hasina blasted the interim government, calling its ascension to power illegitimate, and encouraged her supporters to fight.
The demonstration featured demands for Hasina's extradition from India and judicial action against her.
Some protestors yelled chants demanding accountability for killings during last year's unrest, while others criticized India's perceived role in protecting Hasina.
The interim government, led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, has accused Hasina of vast corruption and grave human rights violations while she was in office.
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