Global Media Outlets Widely Cover Mass Assault on Dhanmondi 32

The demolition of House No 32 in Dhanmondi, Dhaka has hit news headlines in international media. Prominent worldwide media outlets including BBC, Reuters, the Guardian, TRT World, Arab News, ABC News, Anadolu Agency, CNN and AP, have published broad reports on the occurrence.

Former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who escaped to India on 5 August 2024, delivered a speech on Wednesday (5 February 2025) that ignited fury among students and young people across Bangladesh. House No 32 at Dhanmondi was viewed as an emblem of Sheikh Hasina's tyranny, hundreds of angry people, most of whom were young men, devastated the historic building with hammers, shovels and bulldozers and afterwards the house was set on fire.

Although the demonstration was scheduled for 8:00 pm on Wednesday, February 5, protesters began gathering earlier in the evening. Chanting slogans, they stormed the premises just before the designated time. They proceeded to demolish the structure, set it on fire, and later used bulldozers to pull it down to the ground into pieces. At the same time homes and murals of Sheikh Hasina's father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and his family members were also destroyed in various parts of Bangladesh. The sum and substance of the news coverage by popular international media agencies on the above attack are as follows. 

CNN (USA)

Headline: "Bangladesh Protesters Storm and Destroy a House Linked to Exiled Former Prime Minister Hasina." CNN reported. The attack was triggered by Hasina's speech from exile in India, which fueled the anger of student-led protesters. After ruling for 15 years, Hasina fled the country amid accusations of suppressing dissent. The Guardian (UK)

Headline: "Bangladeshi Protesters Destroy Ex-PM's Family Home Symbolising Independence." The Guardian highlighted that House No 32 was historically significant, as Sheikh Hasina's father had declared Bangladesh's independence from there. However, over time, it became associated with authoritarian rule, making it a target for protesters.

BBC (UK) Headline: "Bangladesh Protesters Torch ousted PM Sheikh Hasina's Father's Home." The BBC reported that not only Hasina's house but also the residences of her family members and political allies were set ablaze during the unrest.

Reuters (UK)

Headline: "Protesters in Bangladesh Demolish Former PM Sheikh Hasina's Father's House."Reuters noted that Hasina, the ousted former Prime Minister, had delivered a fiery speech on social media, calling on her supporters to resist the interim government, which ultimately led to the attack.

TRT World (Turkey) Headline: "Former PM Sheikh Hasina's Speech from India Sparks Protests in Bangladesh."TRT World focused on how Hasina's speech from exile sparked mass protests and the eventual demolition of the historic house.

AP (USA)

Headline: "Protesters Storm and Destroy a Family Home of Bangladesh's Ousted Prime Minister Hasina." The Associated Press reported that Hasina's speech from exile in India ignited the attack, emphasizing her controversial departure from Bangladesh following a student-led rebellion.
Anadolu Agency (Turkey)

Headline: "Former PM Sheikh Hasina's Live Speech from India Triggers Protests in Bangladesh."Anadolu Agency quoted leaders of the anti-establishment student movement, who claimed that mainstream political parties had failed to understand the people's aspirations.

ABC News (USA)

Headline: "Bangladesh Protesters Wreak Havoc on a House Associated with Exiled Former PM Sheikh Hasina."ABC News highlighted that thousands of protesters expressed their anger by demolishing a house linked to Hasina, arguing that it had once symbolized the country's independence but later became associated with authoritarian rule.

Arab News (Saudi Arabia)

Headline: "Bangladesh Protesters Rampage Through House Associated with Exiled Former PM Sheikh Hasina."Arab News detailed how the protesters' frustration culminated in the destruction of the historic residence.

Besides, Indian, Pakistani and mass media belonging to some other countries have widely covered the demolition of Sheikh Hasina's residence, with special focus on the global significance of the July Revolution in Bangladesh.

Sheikh Hasina and her party Awami League were in power from 2009 to 2024 in Bangladesh in the middle of comprehensive corruption, nepotism, crackdown on media, paralyzing banks with anarchy and heinous financial vices, enforced disappearances, human rights violations, rigged elections one after another angered the country's young generation and the mass discontent reached its peak in July 2024 which continued for around one month leading to the downfall of Awami League from power as a result of which Sheikh Hasina ran away to India on 5 August 2024.