Former Bangladesh cricket captain Shakib Al Hasan’s ancestral home was attacked on Wednesday after he participated in ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s first public media interaction since her removal from power in 2024, during which she declared that she would return to Bangladesh in December.
According to police, a group of people vandalized Shakib’s residence in Magura town, about 170 km southwest of Dhaka, smashing windows and throwing petrol bombs at the property. A fire broke out on the upper floor of the house, though the residence was unoccupied at the time and no injuries were reported.
Reuters was unable to reach Shakib for comment on the incident.
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Hasina Vows to Return Despite Death Sentence
The attack came only hours after Shakib joined a virtual event organized by the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of South Asia in New Delhi, where Sheikh Hasina addressed the media in her first public appearance since fleeing Bangladesh in 2024.
During the audio address, the former prime minister reiterated her intention to return to the country despite facing a death sentence in absentia.
“I will return to my people,” Hasina said. “I know that they may put me in jail or they may kill me, but still I have to go back.”
The event marked the second anniversary of her ouster and represented her first direct engagement with journalists since leaving Bangladesh after the student-led uprising that ended her 15-year rule.
Shakib’s Political Ties Draw Renewed Scrutiny
Shakib is not only one of Bangladesh’s most celebrated cricketers but also a former Awami League lawmaker. He was elected to parliament as a candidate of Hasina’s party in January 2024 and has remained outside Bangladesh since the uprising that toppled the government.
He is currently facing multiple investigations, including allegations of murder, embezzlement, fraud, and money laundering.
His participation in Hasina’s media event appears to have reignited public anger toward figures associated with the former ruling party, which has faced widespread backlash since its removal from power.
Awami League Ban and Exile Politics
During her address, Hasina also called for the lifting of the ban imposed on the Awami League, the party she led for more than four decades. The party was barred from political activity following her ouster amid accusations that it was responsible for the deadly crackdown on protesters during the 2024 uprising.
Hasina has dismissed the charges against her as politically motivated and has continued to campaign from exile in India.
She has been living in New Delhi since August 2024, and Bangladesh has formally requested her extradition. Indian authorities have said the request is being examined under domestic legal procedures.
Diplomatic Tensions With India Deepen
Bangladesh’s foreign ministry condemned Hasina’s appearance from Indian territory, describing it as “an affront to the sovereignty of Bangladesh” and warning that allowing her to address the media from India could damage bilateral relations.
The remarks underscore the increasingly sensitive diplomatic dimension of Hasina’s exile, with Dhaka seeking her return while New Delhi has so far declined to hand her over.
A Symbolic Target in a Polarized Bangladesh
The attack on Shakib’s home illustrates how deeply Bangladesh’s political polarization has spread beyond party offices and state institutions into the lives of prominent public figures associated with the former regime. As a national sports icon who later entered politics under the Awami League banner, Shakib occupies a uniquely symbolic position in the country’s fractured political landscape.
With Hasina signaling an intention to return and the Awami League seeking political rehabilitation, Wednesday’s violence suggests that tensions surrounding the former ruling party remain highly combustible. The assault on Shakib’s property may therefore be less about one cricketer than about the unresolved struggle over Bangladesh’s post-2024 political order and the future of a party that once dominated the country’s politics for decades.
With information from Reuters.
