Crowds still bustling along length of Dhanmandi-32, as demolition job continues

Dhaka, 8 Feb – On the fourth night of the demolition of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s historic residence at Dhanmondi Road 32, a large crowd of onlookers continues to gather at the site, with activity escalating even after 8pm on Saturday.

Despite the demolition process still underway, the area has become a hotspot for looters, as outsiders are seen collecting bricks, iron, and other usable materials from the rubble.

The scene at the site has grown chaotic, with containers being torn apart and removed for resale.

This looting of bricks, stones, and metal has been ongoing since the demolition began, but now people seem to be taking advantage of the situation, grabbing whatever remains.

Among the crowd are many who simply came to witness the event, with some commenting, "We have come to see what is happening here."

Many, including women and children, are even taking selfies atop the debris, posing for photos despite the risks posed by the unstable structure.

The storied residence overlooking a bend of the Dhanmandi Lake, an epicentre of the country's independence movement, began to collapse under bulldozer impact late Wednesday night, following a fire set on its third floor earlier that evening.

The incident coincided with the six-month anniversary of Sheikh Hasina’s departure from Bangladesh following her ousting by a mass movement led by students on August 5, 2024.

Student activists and online campaigners who had been part of the July Uprising declared that the demolition would commence precisely when Sheikh Hasina was scheduled to deliver a speech on February 5.

In the event, the mob commenced its destruction an hour ahead of time, and triggered a wave of anti-AL destruction activities targeting homes, murals, statues, party offices and other such structures associated with AL, or AL politicians, in multiple districts across the country.