Ex-premier Hasina's speech from India stirs protests in Bangladesh

Protests turned violent in Dhaka when former prime minister Sheikh Hasina made a virtual speech from India, leading to attacks on the house-turned-museum of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, founder of the South Asian nation.

Protesters, including those from the Anti-discrimination Student Movement, carried out vandalism and set on fire parts of the museum soon after Hasina's party announced her scheduled speech on Wednesday.

Thousands of people were seen gathering close to the house while some broke its wall with hammers and sticks.

Hasnat Abdullah, the key coordinator of the Anti-discrimination Student Movement on Facebook, posted, "Tonight, Bangladesh will be free from the pilgrimage site of fascism."

"Demolishing a building can only destroy a structure but couldn't erase the history, " Hasina said in her address.

"History can retaliate as we see in the past," she said, calling the attackers an anti-liberation force.

Bangladesh gained independence from Pakistan in 1971 under Rehman's leadership. About 1,000 people were killed and over 22,000 others injured during the uprising, which led to the fall of Hasina, who fled to India on August 5, 2024.

Three days later, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Mohammad Yunus was appointed as leader of a transitional government.

Hasina called the transitional set-up "illegal and unconstitutional."

Many of the protesters chanted slogans demanding Hasina's execution for hundreds of deaths during last year's uprising against her. It was some of the country's worst upheaval since independence. Hasina urged a UN investigation into the deaths.

They also chanted slogans criticising India.

'India must take responsibility'

Information and Broadcasting adviser Nahid Islam said India "must take responsibility for allowing Hasina giving political directions in their shelter."

"India has given shelter to Sheikh Hasina, and they have some explanation for this … We have asked India to return Hasina, and this is a diplomatic matter. But if Hasina tries to do politics from there, holds political meetings in India, then the Indian government will be responsible for this," Islam said at an event in Dhaka.

Early in the day, the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement and Jatiya Nagorik (citizens) Committee told a news conference in Dhaka about their plans to launch a new political party to bring a "shift" in the country's politics.

"The existing political structure and political parties have failed to read the aspirations of the people in the country … they also failed to understand the youths and read their mind," Hasnat Abdullah, a key convener of the student movement.

The leaders sought support and opinions to determine the party's name and symbol.

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Source: TRT