A series of clashes between law enforcers and a group of people who attempted to demolish the remainders of the country鈥檚 founding president Sheikh Mujibur Rahman鈥檚 Dhanmondi-32 house occurred at Dhanmondi 32 and nearby areas over the verdict against ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina in a case of crimes against humanity on Monday.
Several people from both sides were injured during the clashes while the law enforcers used baton, sound grenades and tear gas at the group.
The vehicular movement聽 at Dhanmondi 32 on the Mirpur Road was disrupted for about six hours while most shops kept their shutters down as the law enforces took positions there to bar the protesters from advancing towards the Mujib鈥檚 house.
鈥楽everal sound grenades were used to disperse the protesters. A few members of the police suffered minor injuries during the confrontations,鈥� said Kya Swe Nu, officer-in-charge of the Dhanmondi police station.
Members of the law enforcement agencies, including the police, army, Rapid Action Battalion and Border Guard Bangladesh, were deployed at the scene to avoid any untoward situation, he added.
Witnesses said that several hundred people, including students, had begun to assemble near Dhanmondi 32 in a procession since 11:30am on Monday, chanting slogans against Sheikh Mujibur Rahman鈥檚 daughter Sheikh Hasina, who was sentenced to death in the case over atrocities during the 2024 July uprising that ousted the Awami League regime in August past year.
The people brought two excavators with the intention of dismantling the house, which had been partially demolished during a demonstration in February.
Before that, the house was partly demolished and burned down by protesters for the first time on August 5, 2024, after the fall of the Hasina regime.
The protesters said that they went there to remove the rubbles of the house which they termed 鈥榮ymbol of the fascist鈥�.
At about 12:30pm, a section of the protesters tried to break through police barricades but the law enforcers dispersed them with charging batons and using sound grenades.
The protesters then divided into groups and tried to move to Dhanmondi-32 in phases.
Later, the protesters again attempted to break through police and army barricades several times since 3:00pm, resulting into several clashes among the protesters and the law enforcers.
Law enforces again chased the protesters, including students from surrounding colleges, from Dhanmondi-32 towards Abahani Field as per the last update at about 9:00pm after the protesters attacked three police vehicles at about 7:00pm.
As of 9:00pm, members of the army, RAB, BGB and police were seen deployed at the Dhanmondi-32 crossing while the protesters were seen in groups in nearby alleys.
The International Crimes Tribunal-1 on Monday sentenced Hasina, former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan to death while former inspector general of police Chowdhury Abdullah Al Mamun received a reduced sentence of five years over atrocities during the 2024 July uprising.
