2 Buildings of Dhanmondi 32 Being Demolished

After a night of demolition, the historic house at Dhanmondi 32, associated with the memory of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, has already turned into rubble. The remaining parts of the house are still being demolished. So far, more than half of one building and 20 percent of the other have been brought down.

Since Thursday morning (February 6), thousands of curious onlookers have gathered in front of the house to witness the demolition process.

At around 12 pm, an on-site visit revealed that some people were manually demolishing parts of the building with hammers and crowbars, while others stood watching. An excavator was being used to tear down the southern building of the property.

At that moment, an onlooker named Faisal Karim commented, "This house was treated like a shrine for 16 years, preventing people from living in peace. Now it is being demolished. We want a public toilet to be built here instead."

Interrupting him, another person said, "This house should be demolished and replaced with apartments for the families of those who were martyred in the movement." Some others suggested building a mosque on the site.

On Wednesday (February 5) at 9 pm, the Bangladesh Chhatra League announced on its Facebook page that a speech by Sheikh Hasina would be broadcast. This announcement sparked significant unrest on social media throughout the day. Many students and online activists involved in the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement called for a "Bulldozer March" and a "March to Dhanmondi 32" in protest.

That afternoon, Sharif Osman Hadi, convener of the Inquilab Mancha and a member of the National Citizens' Committee, posted multiple warnings on Facebook, threatening to demolish Dhanmondi 32. Online activist Pinaki Bhattacharya, who resides abroad, also called for the demolition of Dhanmondi 32 through his verified Facebook account, writing, "There will be no Number 32, there will be none. Long live Inquilab."

At 7 pm, Hasnat Abdullah, convener of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, posted on Facebook, "Tonight (Wednesday), Bangladesh will be freed from the pilgrimage site of fascism."

Shortly after, outraged students began gathering in front of Sheikh Mujib's residence at Dhanmondi 32. By 8 pm they had entered the house, and as time passed, the crowd continued to grow. Protesters carried out extensive vandalism inside the house before setting it on fire. The mural of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman at the entrance was completely destroyed. At 10:50 pm, a bulldozer was brought to the site.

Before the destruction, the agitated students declared, "Tyrant Sheikh Hasina is giving a speech under the banner of Chhatra League today. We will not allow the existence of Bangabandhu or Sheikh Hasina in this country."

Following the fall of the Awami League government in a mass uprising led by the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, enraged protesters attacked, vandalized, and set fire to the historic Dhanmondi 32 residence of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on August 5. Since then, the house had remained largely abandoned.