South Asia Editor
Protesters in Bangladesh have vandalised and set fireplace to the previous household house of deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina, in addition to these of different members of her celebration.
The unrest was sparked by information that Hasina would handle the nation through social media from India, the place she has been in exile since student-led protests ousted her final yr.
The 77-year-old Hasina, who was answerable for Bangladesh for 20 years, was seen as an autocrat whose authorities ruthlessly clamped down on dissent.
On Wednesday night, an excavator smashed down the home of Hasina’s late father, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, who can also be Bangladesh’s founding president. The construction had been repurposed right into a museum.
Hasina’s father is broadly seen as an independence hero, however anger at his daughter has tarnished his legacy amongst Hasina’s critics.
In a Fb livestream, Hasina condemned the assault and demanded “justice”.
“They will demolish a constructing, however they cannot erase historical past,” she stated.
Hasina, as soon as hailed as a pro-democracy icon, has seen her popularity bitter after taking workplace. She has been accused of rigging elections and jailing her critics, and her administration was broadly seen as corrupt.
She faces arrest warrants for cracking down on the student-led protests final yr, which noticed lots of of individuals killed.
Whereas Hasina fled to India final August, anger has not dissipated in opposition to her and her Awami League partymates.
Getty PhotosOn Wednesday, protesters additionally vandalised and torched the homes and companies of senior Awami League leaders. There have been calls on social media to rid the nation of “pilgrimage websites of fascism”.
Police advised the BBC’s Bengali service that round 700 protesters confirmed up on the residence on Wednesday night time, and dozens of law enforcement officials had been deployed.
Since Hasina’s ouster, a caretaker authorities led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus has saved the nation operating.
However it has struggled to quell lingering unrest. 1000’s of demonstrators have taken to the streets in latest months, demanding Hasina to be prosecuted for her lethal crackdown on pupil protesters.
Whereas Yunus’ authorities tries to get Hasina extradited from India, it is usually coping with a looming financial disaster – Yunus has accused Hasina of faking Bangladesh’s financial development and laundering billions of {dollars} throughout her rule.
Yunus has pledged to carry elections in late 2025 or early 2026.