'Protesters' set fire to Bangladesh's founding father Mujibur Rahman's house, Hasina says 'can't demolish history'
The house of Mujibur Rahman, located in Dhaka's Dhanmondi area, which was earlier turned into the Bangabandhu Memorial Museum, was vandalised and set on fire after a ¡°Bulldozer Procession¡± that coincided with an online address by Hasina, who was ousted from power in August.
Bangladesh, which has been in political turmoil for more than eight months, saw the situation spiral out of control yet again on Wednesday night. This was after a group of protesters vandalised and set fire to Bangladesh's founding father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's residence in Dhaka.
CREDIT: REUTERS
Bulldozer Procession
The house of Mujibur Rahman, located in Dhaka's Dhanmondi area, which was earlier turned into the Bangabandhu Memorial Museum, was vandalised and set on fire after a ¡°Bulldozer Procession¡± that coincided with an online address by Hasina, who was ousted from power in August.
Historic significance of the house
The house of Mujibur Rahman has great historical significance in Bangladesh as it was from here that Bangabandhu declared the country's independence from Pakistan in 1971.
It was also where Mujibur Rahman and most of his family were assassinated in 1975. His daughter Sheikh Hasina, who was one of the few people in the family to have survived, later turned the house into a museum.
CREDIT: REUTERS
On Wednesday, the student protesters, armed with sticks, hammers, and other tools, also used a crane and an excavator to demolish the building as part of their "Bulldozer Procession".
??: Mujibur Rahman's historic residence, Dhanmondi 32, razed to the ground in Dhaka by the mob of ¡°students¡±, with tacit support of the interim regime under Yunus.
¡ª Rishap Vats (@VatsRishap) February 5, 2025
Make no mistake, this is a frontal assault on the Bangladesh's founding moment.pic.twitter.com/Rtq617r6jz
What Hasina said
Hasina, who urged her supporters to stand against the interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, also said the protesters cannot demolish history.
"They can demolish a building, but not the history. History takes its revenge," Hasina said.
CREDIT: BCCL
Protesters rewriting Bangladesh's history
Though the student-led demonstrations in Bangladesh started as a protest against the government job quota for descendants of freedom fighters, they have since evolved into a movement that aims to rewrite the country's history and legacy of Mujibur Rahman.
The protesters have also floated plans to dismantle the country's 1972 Constitution and change the national anthem.
CREDIT: AP
Last month, there were also reports that in school textbooks, Mujib Rahman's title of 'Father of the Nation' was dropped. It further stated that Ziaur Rahman, and not Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, declared Bangladesh's independence in 1971.
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Bobins Abraham is the Assistant News Editor at Indiatimes. He has more than twelve years of experience in TV and digital journalism. An avid student of history and geopolitics, he is a conservationist and environmentalist at heart. He writes on environment, sustainability, human-animal conflict and more.
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