Arka Deb 
Dhaka: Until Wednesday (February 5) morning, Dhaka’s streets were bustling as usual – chaotic traffic, hurried commuters, and no sign of what was about to unfold. No one could have predicted that by evening, Dhanmondi 32 – the iconic building in Dhaka in which the founding father of Bangladesh Sheikh Mujibur Rahman lived and died – would be engulfed in flames, vandalised beyond recognition, and that the destruction would continue for over 24 hours.
The very site of history was reduced to rubble as people stood over it, waving flags of triumph. Across the city, small groups formed, murmuring the same questions: Who was behind this? Was this justified? Is this the new Bangladesh?
In the last six months, the Interim government has been in charge, with key positions held by leaders of the anti-discrimination movement. However, the new government has repeatedly demonstrated its inexperience and faced challenges, exhibited contradictions, questioned by civil society regarding election date and many other issues.
Meanwhile, most leaders and affiliates of the Awami League have either left the country or remain in exile. Despite their declining influence in Bangladeshi politics, the Awami League and its student wing, the Chhatra League, have refused to accept their growing irrelevance.
On Wednesday, exactly six months after former prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s flight, the now-banned Chhatra League announced on its official Facebook page that a speech by Hasina would be broadcast at 9 pm. As the news spread, Opposition political leaders, activists, and social media influencers mobilised.
By 7 pm, Hasnat Abdullah, convenor of the anti-discrimination student movement, posted on Facebook:
“Tonight, Bangladesh will be freed from the shrine of fascism.”
Social media influencer Pinaki Bhattacharya wrote:
“The bulldozer is ready. Come to 32 No. Dhanmondi with the force of a flood. Let the sky shatter. Come witness history. Come create history. Inquilab Zindabad!”
A bulldozer, an excavator, and a crane arrived in front of Dhanmondi 32 as the crowd gathered. Photo: Arka Deb
By early evening, crowds began to gather in front of Dhanmondi 32. The front gate was the first to fall, followed by the Mujib mural, as enraged students stormed the premises. Soon, a bulldozer, an excavator, and a crane arrived.
Meanwhile, in her speech, Hasina blamed the people of Bangladesh, accusing them of turning the country into a hub of militancy.
In her 50-minute address, she asserted that the Bangladesh flag, constitution, and independence – earned through the blood of countless martyrs – could not be erased by mere bulldozers. She further claimed that the anti-discrimination movement and the political shift in Bangladesh were the results of a single individual’s conspiracy – in an obvious reference to Muhammad Yunus.
As millions watched her speech online, tension escalated. Soon, flames engulfed Sudha Sadan, the residence of Hasina, located on Road 5 in Dhanmondi. Furniture, mattresses, refrigerators, and household items were dragged outside and set ablaze. In Sylhet, an enraged mob tore down a Mujib mural. In Rajshahi, a group attempted to rename Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Hall, but residential students resisted.
Renowned left-wing activist Meghmallar Basu condemned the incident. Photo: Arka Deb
By Thursday morning, demolition of the adjacent six-story building at Dhanmondi 32 had begun. Crowds gathered, watching the destruction unfold. Some scavenged through the wreckage, taking pieces of broken furniture, metal scraps, and door latches.
Protestors chanted various slogans like “Fashi Fashi Fashi Chai, Sheikh Hasinar Fashi Chai; Sara Banglae Khobor De, Mujibbader Kobor De; Awami League-er Pretatta, Bangladeshe Thakbe Na; Mujibader Astana, Ei Banglae Thakbena; Delhi na Dhaka, Dhaka Dhaka; Inquilab Zindabad (“We want Sheikh Hasina to be hanged; inform entire Bangladesh, the grave of Mujibism. The ghosts of Awami League will not stay in Bangladesh. The shelter of Mujib will not be in this Bangladesh; Delhi not Dhaka, Dhaka Dhaka; Long live the revolution.”)
The army didn’t intervene as the crowd continue to vandalise the building. Photo: Arka Deb
Although the army eventually arrived at the scene, they did not intervene, raising serious questions: Was this outbreak of violence necessary? Why has an election date still not been announced? Are these protesters making a statement by directly attacking symbols of the liberation war? Is Jamaat-e-Islami attempting to assert its presence?
Interim government’s statement
The interim government issued an official statement, calling the incident at Dhanmondi 32 “regrettable and unforeseen”. It blamed Hasina’s provocative speech, delivered from exile in India, for fueling public outrage.
“For six months, there had been no attacks or vandalism at 32 No. Dhanmondi. Last night’s events were triggered solely by Sheikh Hasina’s speech, which had two major aspects,” the statement read.
First, the government accused Hasina of disrespecting the martyrs of the July uprising, making absurd and inflammatory remarks that undermined their sacrifice.
Second, it stated that Hasina, despite fleeing the country, continued to threaten the uprising and its participants, using the same tone of intimidation that characterised her time in power. By doing so, she had provoked deep wounds within the public, leading to the events at Dhanmondi 32.
People gathered outside Dhanmondi 32 on February 7 evening to see the building post destruction. Photo: Arka Deb
Many observers see this incident as an internal power struggle within the Jatio Nagarik Committee.
On Wednesday, Abdullah said, “final victory is yet to come.” Later he reaffirmed, “this night would free Bangladesh from fascism”.
Meanwhile, Mahfuz Alam, an advisor to the interim government, posted on Facebook at midnight, “We are fighting against regional and global imperialism – not just against a few statues or buildings. Do we have the strength to rebuild?”
Renowned left-wing activist Meghmallar Basu condemned this incident which led to the destruction but later deactivated his social media accounts.
Major (retd.) Hafiz Uddin Ahmed, a senior Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) leader, warned that the attack on Dhanmondi 32 could obstruct Bangladesh’s democratic progress.
“Such actions could be an attempt to destroy democracy and create obstacles in the democratic process. Some might be deliberately trying to incite chaos. We must also investigate whether there was any foreign influence behind this incident,” Hafiz said at a press conference at the National Press Club on Thursday.
He added, “We don’t have all the facts yet. We will wait a little longer. By the end of the day, we hope everything will become clear. Once we have complete information, BNP will present its official stance to the public and the media.”
Bobby Hajjaj, chairman of the Nationalist Democratic Movement thinks this incident was “unavoidable, like an aftershock of a major earthquake”.
Interestingly, Jamaat-e-Islami is yet to release an official statement, but their presence at Dhanmondi 32 during the incident was noticeable.
What is the Bangladesh public saying?
The general public is divided over the events. Mob who remained busy to collect the token from Dhanmondi 32 justified their act saying this is a lesson for the next generation. “This is the destiny of a dictator.”
With Dhaka still tense and questions mounting over the future of Bangladesh’s political landscape, one thing is clear: the events of February 6 will be remembered as a turning point. Photo: Arka Deb
Mohammad Haider Ali, a 50-year-old auto-rickshaw driver, remarked:
“Hasina did wrong. But we cannot forget the contributions of Ziaur Rahman and Sheikh Mujib in our Liberation War. This house has history. We cannot erase history like this.”
Abu Siam, a security guard for JSSCL Group, commented: “Mujib’s daughter may have done wrong, but Mujib himself did a lot for the country. I don’t support such vandalism.”
With Dhaka still tense and questions mounting over the future of Bangladesh’s political landscape, one thing is clear: the events of February 6 will be remembered as a turning point.
Will Awami be able to get some sympathy? Will ideological differences between the Jatio Nagarik Committee members become more prominent? All eyes are in a half burnt ghost house at Dhanmondi 32 road.
“People are outraged against the Awami League until justice is served to the martyrs’ family. The vandalism was a reaction, instigated by fugitive Sheikh Hasina. We don’t want this to happen, we are looking for a fair trial,” Nahid Islam, a Bangladeshi student activist who serves as an adviser to the Interim government of Bangladesh, said.
Arka Deb is editor-in-chief of Inscript.me. He has been a senior journalist at Network18 and Anandabazar Patrika.