Thousands Of Protesters Burn The House Of Former Bangladeshi PM Sheikh Hasina's Father

JAKARTA - Thousands of protesters burned down the house of Bangladesh' founding leader when his daughter, former prime minister, overturned Sheikh Hasina, called on his supporters to oppose the interim government.

The South Asian nation of 170 million people has been battling political disputes since Hasina was forced to flee to neighboring India in August after weeks of protests against her government that killed more than 1,000 people.

As reported by Reuters on Thursday, February 6, eyewitnesses said thousands of protesters, some armed with sticks, hammers and other equipment, gathered around historic homes and monuments to independence.

Others brought cranes and excavators to destroy the building on Wednesday night.

The demolition continued until Thursday, with most of the front of the house destroyed. Many people were seen breaking into it and taking steel and wood items and books from inside.

The demonstration coincided with a broader call, dubbed the "Buldoser Process", to disrupt Hasina's online speech scheduled for Wednesday evening.

Protesters, many of whom are members of the Student Against Discrimination' group, voiced anger over Hasina's speech which they considered a challenge to the newly formed interim government.

Led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, the government has struggled to enforce law and order as protests and riots continue.

Protesters attacked the symbols of the Hasina government, including the house of his father, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, who was first burned in August.

As a state achievence figure, this house is where Mujibur Rahman declared Bangladeshi independence from Pakistan in 1971.

He and most of his family were killed in the house in 1975. Hasina, who survived the attack, turned the building into a museum dedicated to her father's legacy.

"They can knock down a building, but not history. History is revenge," Hasina said in her speech, Wednesday.

He urged the Bangladeshi people to oppose the interim government, and accused them of seizing power in an unconstitutional manner.

Yunus' press office said the protesters' attack on Mujibur Rahman's residence was "unintentional and undesirable", calling it a response to Hasina's "violent behavior".

"Sheikh Hasina has insulted and humiliated those who sacrificed themselves in the July uprising," he said in a statement.

Sheikh Hasina threatened to create instability in this country.