Bangladeshi: BNP's mob attacks, vandalises Awami League leaders' homes

Dhaka(The Uttam Hindu): In yet another assault on former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's Awami League, the residences of former Mayor Anwaruzzaman Chowdhury and former Member of Parliament Shafiul Alam Chowdhury Nadel were attacked and vandalised by a mob under the banner of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP)'s Chhatra Dal.

Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Sylhet Airport Police Station, Syed Anisur Rahman, said an agitated group of students and members of the public attacked Nadel's residence, causing damage, reports local media outlet UNB. Local witnesses stated that a group of individuals from the Chhatra Dal, on 70-80 bikes, arrived at Nadel's residence in the Housing Estate area of Sylhet city in a procession on Wednesday and stormed into the house, damaging CCTV cameras and a laptop.

In a separate development, Anwaruzzaman Chowdhury's house in the Pathantula area of Sylhet was attacked. The assailants vandalised furniture and other household items. "Police responded to the incident upon receiving reports. We have learned that enraged students and members of the public carried out the attack," said Jalalabad Police Station OC Harunur Rashid.

The mob also stole valuable possessions from the residence. No relatives of Anwaruzzaman were in the house; two caretakers were looking after the property and were allegedly mistreated by the assailants, according to a report by local media outlet BDDiGEST. Several Awami League leaders were brutally attacked and killed after the ouster of Sheikh Hasina.

According to a report of the leading Bangladeshi daily, The Dhaka Tribune, in August 2024, bodies of at least 20 leaders of the Awami League and their family members were recovered across the country. Meanwhile, many leaders and supporters of the Awami League have faced severe assault and mob violence in recent days.

Last month, a midnight raid conducted by a violent mob consisting majorly of students and targetting the residence of an Awami League leader in an upscale area of Dhaka has invited scathing criticism from several Bangladeshis who are outraged over police inaction and politically motivated attacks that continue to increase alarmingly under the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government.

The house belonged to Tanvir Imam, the son of H.T. Imam, who was an advisor to Sheikh Hasina. The mob, consisting of over 100 youngsters, ransacked the flat, claiming that Awami League workers were hiding inside and a large cache of illegal weapons and cash were also hidden somewhere around. However, after the search, they admitted to finding nothing.

In February, a large group of protesters on Wednesday vandalised and set on fire Bangladesh founder Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's residence in Dhaka during a live online address of his daughter, Sheikh Hasina. The angry mob vandalised the memorial and residence of Sheikh Hasina's father located at Dhanmondi 32 in Bangladesh, demanding a ban on the party he founded, Awami League.

In December 2024, Dhaka-based human rights organisation Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK), in its report, highlighted that instances of mob attacks and lawlessness in the name of justice remained a cause for concern under the interim government.