“Bangladesh has become a land of terrorists and fighters”, says Sheikh Hasina after demolition of residence of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman

Protesters vandalize the residence of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Bangladesh’s former leader and the father of the country’s ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, at Dhanmondi, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Wednesday, Feb. 5, 2025.
| Photo Credit: AP

 Bangladesh has become the “land of terrorists and fighters”, Sheikh Hasina has said in a major speech delivered online from New Delhi. The nearly hourlong speech was streamed on the web pages of the Awami League soon after a “bulldozer rally” by a mob demolished the historic 32 Dhanmondi residence of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman early on Thursday (February 6, 2025). Ms Hasina said the people of Bangladesh will do justice for the demolition of the house where she grew up and said, she will have to accomplish some “important assignment” in the coming days.

“A game of destruction has started around Bangladesh which is going through a phase of chaos and upheaval. Bangladesh which was a role model of development across the world has become the land of terrorists and fighters. This is indeed a matter of great misfortune for us all,” said Ms. Hasina in a speech that marked a major departure in nearly six months of exile in India that she had chosen after the fall of her government on August 5.

“The government of Mohammad Yunus is completely unconstitutional. He has come to power using money power and by stepping on the dead bodies of many people of our country,” said Ms. Hasina and added, “There was a meticulous planning by Yunus sahib to kill me and my sister.”

Earlier on Wednesday (February 5, 2025) a mob called for demolishing the 32 Dhanmondi residence of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and dismantled the building using heavy earth moving machinery despite police presence. In a statement, the Awami League accused the interim government of providing “immunity” and said, “Dr. Yunus and the entire interim government cannot escape liability for last night’s destructive acts.”

Videos taken by the participants showed various Islamist flags were waved from the top floors of the residence soon before the building was torn down. “The conspiracy that was made in August has now turned Bangladesh into a victim. The house was burnt in August but now they are breaking this house,” said Ms. Hasina in an emotional speech recollecting the assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in the early morning of August 15, 1975.

“They can break a house but we can rebuild that house. Bangladesh will rise again. I survived repeated assassination attempts and the Almighty saved me repeatedly from danger in the past. There must be a reason for which I survived and I am sure my life was spared because I have to complete some special assignment in the coming days,” said Ms. Hasina. The speech marks a turning point of Ms. Hasina who has been based in India since leaving Dhaka in a chaotic situation as her government fell in the backdrop of the so called “student-people uprising” that began demanding an end to the unpopular quota system in educational and employment opportunities.

“Bangladesh will stage a comeback. The spirit of the war of liberation of 1971 will come back. Blood of martyrs is never wasted,” said Ms. Hasina calling on the student wing of her party to unite.

The speech marks an important moment in the six-month long exile of Ms. Hasina as the audio speech directly targeted Prof Mohammad Yunus as well as the student-coordinators who were described as “terrorists and fighters”. The interim government had called upon India to stop Ms. Hasina from speaking out earlier and had described her earlier shorter and unconfirmed online remarks and phone calls as interference into the domestic affairs of Bangladesh. The Ministry of External Affairs is yet to comment on the mob-led demolition of 32 Dhanmondi which was the residence where Sheikh Mujib lived and was assassinated on August 15, 1975.