Bangladesh’s ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s coalition, Jatiya Party, central office in Dhaka, has been set on fire following clashes on Thursday night. According to witnesses, the office was partially damaged.
The Jatiya Party was founded by the late President Hussain Muhammad Ershad. It was a part of the Bangladesh Awami League-led Grand Alliance and participated in the previous three general elections despite major party BNP boycotts. The people protesting against Sheikh Hasina were left fuming in anger after the Jatiya Party announced that it would hold a rally in Dhaka on Saturday.
#WATCH | Bangladesh’s ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s coalition, Jatiya Party’s central office in Dhaka vandalised and set on fire. pic.twitter.com/nUWQtYkclm — ANI (@ANI) November 1, 2024
Clashes erupted when protesters carrying the Chhatra Sramik Janata banner marched with a torch procession in front of the Jatiya Party’s central office in the Kakrail area, the heart of the capital Dhaka.
The fire service went to the spot and extinguished the fire. When a large number of protesters went in front of the Jatiya Party left the office. Protesters vandalized Jatiya Party offices, pulled down signboards, and smeared ink on party founder Ershad’s picture on the wall, the witnesses said.
Police and Army were deployed in front of the Jatiya Party office. “We were passing in front of the Jatiya Party office with a torch procession. At that time, terrorists of the Jatiya Party threw bricks at our procession from the roof of the Jatiya Party office,” said Shakiluzzaman, a leader of Gono Audhikar Parishad, a political party that actively participated in the movement against Sheikh Hasina.
“Jatiya Party terrorists themselves set fire to their office and escaped. Jatiya Party acted as a proxy of the fascist Awami League in the 2014, 2018 and 2024 elections,” Shakiluzzaman said. “We, the students, workers, and citizens, have declared that we will not allow Jatiya Party to hold any rally,” he further stated. The Jatiya Party did not make any immediate statements, but they are likely to express their reaction officially later on Friday.
Two months ago, a student-led movement ousted Bangladesh’s Prime Minister, Hasi Sheikhna, after weeks of protests and clashes that killed over 600. Hasina, 76, fled to India on August 5, and an interim government led by Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus was formed.
(With ANI Inputs)