Bangladesh is in the depths of severe political upheaval.In the face of protests and hoots, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was forced to resign unexpectedly and escape the country, eventually arriving in India via helicopter. Thousands of protestors stormed her residence, breaking down gates and causing vast damage, which made her leave the country. During this period, social media was abuzz with claims that the homes of Hindu cricketer Liton Das and former cricketer and MP Mashrafe Mortaza were torched by rioters.
Additionally, the crowd reportedly attacked the luxurious official residence of the Prime Minister, ‘Ganabhaban.’ The rioters allegedly stole items such as the Prime Minister’s TV, furniture, and even clothes. Sheikh Hasina, after fleeing Bangladesh, completed her second 15-year term in office. She has been leading Bangladesh for 20 out of the past 30 years, continuing the legacy of her father, Mujibur Rahman, who was assassinated along with his family in a 1975 coup.
After arriving in India, Hasina’s son revealed that she wanted to stay in Bangladesh, but her family insisted she leave for her safety. Her son Joy stated, “She wanted to stay. She did not want to leave the country at all. But we kept insisting that it was not safe for her. We were primarily concerned about her safety, so we persuaded her to leave.”
Amid reports of attacks on Hindu temples in Bangladesh, news about Liton Das’s house being burned spread like wildfire. However, a Bangladeshi journalist refuted these claims on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), calling the news baseless. He stated, “Within 30 minutes, a blatant lie received 6k likes (this is Mashrafe Mortaza’s house)… We still have a long way to go in combating local and international fear-mongers trying to incite fear and division in our country.”
He clarified that the house shown in the viral picture is that of former Bangladesh captain Mashrafe Mortaza, not Liton Das. It is important to note that Liton Das is a celebrated cricketer who has played a crucial role in many of Bangladesh’s victories. Despite this, he often faces backlash from extremists whenever he shares pictures of his deities or posts about festivals on social media.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh is facing a situation similar to Sri Lanka’s recent turmoil. The actions of the rioters are unpredictable, and the concept of governance seems nonexistent at the moment, with the army managing the situation. If the chaos continues, Bangladesh’s condition is likely to deteriorate further, making it uncertain how long any home can remain safe.
