Bangabandhu Museum demolition continues

The demolition work by protesters at the Bangabandhu Memorial Museum on Dhanmondi 32 in the capital is still ongoing. The remaining parts of the building were being dismantled on Thursday (February 6) morning.

Excavators and cranes brought in on Wednesday night continued to demolish various sections of the structure in the morning. A significant portion of the front side, up to the third floor, has been reduced to rubble.

On Wednesday, February 5, at around 9:00 pm, supporters of the banned organization Chhatra League announced on their verified Facebook page that the ousted Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina, would join a virtual session. In protest, Sharif Osman Hadi, convener of the Inquilab Manch and a member of the National Citizens’ Committee, posted multiple warnings on Facebook threatening to demolish the museum at Dhanmondi 32 in the afternoon.

At 7:00 pm, Hasnat Abdullah, convener of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, wrote in a Facebook post: "Tonight (Wednesday), Bangladesh will be liberated from the land of fascism."

Following this, many students, activists, and members of the public involved in the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement called for 'Bulldozer Processions' and a 'March to Dhanmondi 32' on Facebook. By 8:00 pm, agitated students and activists broke the gate and entered the museum. Although there were plans to demolish the house with bulldozers, the protesters carried out the destruction themselves, setting the building on fire and vandalizing the mural of Bangabandhu inside. By 11:45 pm, demolition with an excavator began.

In addition to demolishing the museum at 32 Dhanmondi, a fire was also set at Sheikh Hasina’s residence, Sudha Sadan, in Dhanmondi 5A, on Wednesday night.