Mir Afroz Zaman

Foreign Affairs Adviser Towhid Hossain is blaming Sheikh Hasina's statements and statements while sitting in India for the vandalism and arson of the house of Bangladesh's father of the nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman at 32, Dhanmondi, and the vandalism in various places in the country on Thursday.

Responding to a journalist's question at a press conference on Thursday, he said, "India has been told in writing to stop Sheikh Hasina from making such statements against Bangladesh. The country's acting High Commissioner has been summoned and told about it."

He said, "However, the position is that the students and public have not taken well to all the speeches and statements that Sheikh Hasina is making from India. She is constantly provoking. We believe that this incident is happening as a result of that. And if they had refrained from such incidents, such incidents might not have happened.”

It is worth noting that after August 5, in a 6-month period, the agitating students and public completely demolished House No. 32 in Dhanmondi, which commemorates the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the creator of Bangladesh. It was set on fire and later demolished using a crane, an excavator and two bulldozers. Sheikh Hasina’s residence Sudhasadan was also set on fire.

On Thursday, when we went to the spot at noon, we could see the three floors of the main building burning. The adjacent building was also on fire. There was also looting and looting.

Outside Dhaka, various sculptures and murals, including the houses of Sheikh Hasina’s relatives and Awami League leaders, were vandalized and set on fire in Khulna, Jessore, Kushtia, Barisal, Sylhet, Rangpur, Bhola and Pirojpur. Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's nameplates have been removed from various universities.

Eyewitness Samsul, a jhalmuri seller, told Ganashakti, 'A large number of people gathered on Road No. 32 in Dhanmondi after 8 pm on Wednesday at the call of the anti-discrimination student movement. Then the work of vandalism and removal of buildings began. Supporters of the anti-discrimination student movement set fire to the room in the house from which the Father of the Nation dreamed of the liberation of Bengalis. Except for two police vans, there was not much presence of law enforcement members on Road No. 32. Members of the army arrived there at midnight. However, they also left the scene at some point.'

On August 17, 2005, bomb attacks were carried out simultaneously in 63 districts of Bangladesh. Two people were killed and many people were injured in the attack.

The militants announced their organized presence in Bangladesh through the simultaneous attacks. They also distributed one of their leaflets that day.

Law enforcement later said that a militant group called Jamaatul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) carried out the attack.

But how did this militant organization prepare for simultaneous attacks across the country? What was the role of law enforcement at that time? Although there was no bomb attack on Wednesday, similar acts of vandalism and removal of nameplates were carried out across the country at the same time. The student mob rioted all night! Shamsul, a jhalmuri seller in Old Dhaka, lamented that although thousands of people stood and witnessed such terrorist activities, no one had the courage to stop them.

An emergency meeting of the Central Executive Council of the Left Democratic Alliance was held at the BSD (Marxist) office on Thursday in this regard. The meeting, chaired by Left Alliance Coordinator and Revolutionary Communist League of Bangladesh General Secretary Iqbal Kabir Zahid, was attended by Communist Party of Bangladesh (CPB) President Mohammad Shah Alam, General Secretary Ruhin Hossain Prince, General Secretary of the Socialist Party of Bangladesh-Basader Bazlur Rashid Firoz, Coordinator of the Socialist Party of Bangladesh (Marxist) Masud Rana, General Secretary of the Democratic Revolutionary Party Mosherefa Mishu and Executive President of the Socialist Party of Bangladesh Abdul Ali. The leaders said at the meeting, "Keeping in mind the desire that was created among the people through the 2024 mass uprising to build a democratic and discrimination-free society, while efforts are being made to move forward on the path of necessary reforms and fair and acceptable elections to transfer power to elected representatives, several activities are complicating the overall situation. The degenerate dictatorship, the fascist Sheikh Hasina-Awami League, is conducting some provocative activities while sitting abroad, which has angered the people of the country, including the agitating forces. In view of these incidents, vandalism at various places including Dhanmondi 32, which is part of the country's history and heritage, the use of bulldozers, and the government's inaction in these matters have made the entire situation critical. Such incidents are not desirable at all when there is no government in the country. The government must take responsibility for this. We call on the government to take a visible role in ensuring the security of life and property across the country and ensuring a democratic environment for all by preventing the recurrence of the climate of fear." If the government remains inactive, the whole incident will become more complicated. Which will question the spirit of the mass uprising and give various forces an opportunity to carry out sabotage.

In the statement, the leaders criticized the statement made by Foreign Affairs Advisor Towhid Hossain while avoiding responsibility. After Wednesday's incident, Sheikh Hasina's son Sajib Wazed Joy mentioned in a status on his verified Facebook page, Bangladesh could not achieve anything in six months under Yunus' rule.