Protesters in Bangladesh have vandalised and set fire to the former family home of deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina, as well as those of other members of her party.
The unrest was sparked by news that Hasina would address the country via social media from India, where she has been in exile since student-led protests ousted her last year.
The 77-year-old Hasina, who was in charge of Bangladesh for 20 years, was seen as an autocrat whose government ruthlessly clamped down on dissent.
On Wednesday evening, an excavator smashed down the house of Hasina’s late father, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, who is also Bangladesh’s founding president. The structure had been repurposed into a museum.
Hasina’s father is widely viewed as an independence hero, but anger at his daughter has tarnished his legacy among Hasina’s critics.
In a Facebook livestream, Hasina condemned the attack and demanded “justice”.
“They can demolish a building, but they can’t erase history,” she said.
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While Hasina fled to India last August, anger has not dissipated against her and her Awami League partymates.
On Wednesday, protesters also vandalised and torched the houses and businesses of senior Awami League leaders. There have been calls on social media to rid the country of “pilgrimage sites of fascism”.
According to Police around 700 protesters showed up at the residence on Wednesday night, and dozens of police officers were deployed.
Since Hasina’s ouster, a caretaker government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has kept the country running.
