Bangladesh's government warns of stern action after house where independence was declared is razed

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — Bangladesh's interim government headed by Nobel Peace laureate Muhammad Yunus said Friday it will contain vandalism and arson taking place across the country. The development comes amid concern from a major opposition party and neighboring India over attacks on a historic house linked to ousted former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Mobs targeting supporters of Hasina have vandalized homes and businesses in various parts of the country since Wednesday night. Many of the establishments belonging to former lawmakers, Cabinet members and the leaders of Hasina's Awami League party were set on fire, apparently as part of a coordinated campaign involving the former home of Bangladesh's independence leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman — Hasina's father — in Dhaka, the capital.

The interim government said Wednesday's attack was sparked by Hasina for regularly making “provocative” remarks from exile to create instability in Bangladesh. The protesters started storming the house one hour before Hasina began to address her supporters from India.

Hasina fled the country to India on Aug. 5 amid a student-led mass uprising that ended her 15-year rule.

Early on Friday, Yunus' press office in a brief statement warned that stern actions would be taken against such acts of violence.

Late on Friday, another statement attributed to Yunus said the interim leader called on all citizens “to immediately restore complete law and order and to ensure there will be no further attacks on” properties associated with the family of Hasina and her supporters.

The statements came more than 24 hours after the attack on the building from where Rahman declared Bangladesh’s independence from Pakistan in 1971. The Wednesday night attack followed a daylong campaign on social media by Hasina critics and student leaders. They declared a “bulldozer procession” toward Rahman’s house, which was turned into a museum by Hasina. As the protesters stormed the building, police stood by. A team of soldiers later attempted to stop them but then left.

An intelligence official in Dhaka told The Associated Press that there were reports of some 70 attacks across Bangladesh since Wednesday following the vandalism and arson in Rahman’s home. The country’s leading English-language Daily Star reported Friday that acts of violence targeting Hasina’s supporters took place in at least 20 districts. Channel 24 TV station in Dhaka reported violence in at least 35 districts across the country. The station said the village home of a veteran politician from Hasina's party and former Bangladesh president, Abdul Hamid, was one of the targets.

Despite calls for a halt, new attacks were reported late Friday.

Since the ouster of Hasina, mobs have repeatedly declared their protest plans in advance and the actions have been aired live on social media or on many mainstream television stations. At least 80 Islamic sufi shrines have been attacked, allegedly by hard-line Islamists, according to rights groups. This week's violence also followed allegations by a leading minority rights group that the interim government has failed to protect them, a claim denied by the authorities, who say the incidents have occurred for "political reasons" and are not related to community issues.

In a statement early Friday, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party headed by former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, Hasina's main political rival, urged the Yunus-led government to "bring the situation under control."

“Otherwise, anarchy will spread across the country,” it said.

India, which aided Bangladesh's fight for independence from Pakistan in a bloody war in 1971, in a statement Thursday condemned the demolition of Rahman's house, calling the site a symbol of a "heroic resistance."

It highlighted the role of Rahman’s residence in the formation of Bangladesh’s national identity.

“All those who value the freedom struggle that nurtured Bangla identity and pride are aware of the importance of this residence for the national consciousness of Bangladesh. This act of vandalism should be strongly condemned,” the statement reads.

In another development, India summoned Bangladesh's acting high commissioner in New Delhi on Friday. The move came a day after the Yunus-led government demanded that India stop Hasina from making "provocative" statements from exile. The relationship between the two neighbors has been strained in recent months.

In a statement, India's Ministry of External Affairs said Friday that recent comments attributed to Hasina have been made in her individual capacity, in which India has no role to play.

"It is, however, regrettable that regular statements made by Bangladesh authorities continue to portray India negatively, holding us responsible for internal governance issues. These statements by Bangladesh are in fact responsible for the persistent negativity,” it said.

Bangladeshi political analyst Nazmul Ahsan Kalimullah said Thursday that such violence could pose a serious threat to the aspiration of a democratic transition through an election.

Yunus has said a new election will be held either in December or by June 2026.