According to the reports on Friday (7 February), widespread unrest in Bangladesh has led to violent attacks on properties linked to Awami League leaders. In Kishoreganj, an angry mob stormed the residence of former president Abdul Hamid, looted valuables, and set fire to a motorcycle outside. Earlier in the evening, protesters also demolished the Kishoreganj district Awami League office using a bulldozer, escalating tensions in the area. Local authorities have yet to comment, but security measures have reportedly been reinforced to prevent further incidents.
Protests have spread across the country, with demonstrators attacking and setting fire to the houses of Awami League leaders and defacing murals of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in nearly two dozen districts. In Dhaka’s Banani, a fire was set at the residence of Awami League Presidium Member Sheikh Selim, delaying the Fire Service’s response due to security concerns. A day after the Dhanmondi-32 residence of Sheikh Mujib was attacked, protesters ransacked and torched the house of Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader in Noakhali’s Companiganj. The homes of his younger brother and former mayor Shahadat Mirza were also targeted, with vehicles set ablaze.
Similar attacks have been reported in Rajshahi, where over 100 people on motorbikes set fire to the house of former state minister for foreign affairs Shahriar Alam. In Pabna, protesters ransacked and torched the home of Awami League leader Abu Sayeed, who has been in hiding due to his alleged involvement in violence against demonstrators. Demonstrators in Cumilla and Narayanganj demolished murals of Sheikh Mujib using bulldozers, hammers, and crowbars. In Narsingdi, murals were defaced, and Bangladesh Chhatra League activists being taken to court were attacked.
The unrest follows a live online address by Sheikh Hasina, who fled to India after her government was toppled by student-led protests. Protesters have vowed to dismantle symbols associated with Hasina’s regime, with calls to scrap the 1972 Constitution and even change the national anthem. The International Crimes Tribunal of Bangladesh has since issued arrest warrants for Hasina and several former officials for alleged crimes against humanity and genocide. In her livestream, Hasina condemned the attacks, stating, “They can demolish a building, but they can’t erase history.”
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