The house of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman (the former leader of the political party known as the Awami League), located at Dhanmondi Road Number 32 in Dhaka, has been demolished. It has been set on fire, and it has been destroyed by freedom-loving Bangladeshis.
As I watch the videos and images of people destroying the property—the boundary walls, to the doors and windows, the fixtures and fittings, and everything else–I am thankful to God that justice has been served. It was because of Awami League activists, or should I say the so-called “worshippers” of Sheikh Mujib, that my maternal grandparents’ large property (two multi-storied buildings on the same piece of land in Dhaka, had to be sold at a nominal price (equating to the property being stolen from our family) and eventually demolished by those who had taken possession of it. My mother and I had to live for many years with pain in our hearts. It was the property where I spent many precious moments of my life and created many fond memories.
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was the prime minister of Bangladesh, until his death in 1975. He was killed at his home by a group of military servicemembers.
Even after the death of Sheikh Mujib and many members of his family on the same night in 1975, his home stood on Road Number 32 of Dhanmondi.
Following Mujib’s death, years went by as his daughter Sheikh Hasina climbed the ladder of political power, not through honest means but by adopting a path of crime and corruption. Instead of salvaging her father’s political party and using the political assets to work for the well-being of the Bangladeshi people, Sheikh Hasina was committed to grabbing more and more power and to eventually become the supreme leader, or dictator, of Bangladesh.
As the Awami League (Sheikh Mujib’s political party) became a more powerful entity with Sheikh Hasina as the leader, the house on Road Number 32 became a political pilgrimage site for the party’s activists. As Sheikh Hasina rose to the office of the Prime Minister of Bangladesh and held on to her power through cheating in elections and stealing votes, and as the Awami League turned from a political party to a violent anti-humanity organization, the house on Road Number 32 became a house of worship for all those who sought to become collaborators of the brutal regime.
During a long period of a decade-and-a-half in power as the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina engaged in many crimes against humanity including, but not limited to, the weaponization of the justice system, politically motivated kidnappings, extra-judicial killings, suppression of free speech, and various forms of torture. People affiliated with the Awami League regime engaged in murder, extortion, land-grabbing, and many other crimes. With Sheikh Hasina in power, law and order seemed to burn and turn into ashes.
But the Almighty God does not allow the evil to win. In August of 2024, after a massive revolution in Bangladesh, led by young students of Generation Z, Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League regime came to an end. Many Awami League politicians fled the country, many ended up in jail, and many others went into hiding. The Bangladeshi people achieved true independence after the fall of Sheikh Hasina, who is currently in hiding in a foreign country.
My family was directly hurt by the corrupt actions of the Awami League regime. And my heart is full of satisfaction seeing the downfall of Sheikh Hasina and her brutal party. It feels great to see that Sheikh Mujib’s house on Road Number 32 has been destroyed.
My maternal grandfather, Mr. Ansaruddin Khan, built a massive fortune in his lifetime, all because of his hard work. He was a businessman, a landowner, a philanthropist, and a symbol of kindness. He was highly respected in society, an example of which is the fact that he was part of a special reception committee that had the great honor of greeting and welcoming Queen Elizabeth during her visit to East Pakistan in 1961 (East Pakistan became Bangladesh in 1971).
In spite of his success, my grandfather was a very down-to-earth man. In his lifetime, he received the blessings of many people whose lives he touched through his generosity.
Following my grandfather’s death, the Awami League regime actively tried to grab the wealth and properties that he had left behind. My uncle (my grandfather’s only son, now deceased) was compelled to sell the parental property in Dhaka at below market price, all because of the brutal Awami League regime. Later the property was demolished, and only memories remain.
And now, I am watching the images and videoclips of Sheikh Mujib’s house on Road Number 32 being destroyed by freedom-loving Bangladeshis. I am watching how the people of Bangladesh are removing all structures and artifacts of the Awami League regime. While I will never get my grandparents’ house back, but it gives me tremendous joy to see that the people of Bangladesh are completely uprooting the Awami League and cutting off all the tentacles of the brutal Mujib family. Hopefully, Sheikh Hasina will be extradited and flown back to Bangladesh and prosecuted for her crimes against humanity.
Truth and justice will prevail.
A photo of my maternal grandfather Mr. Ansaruddin Khan, shaking hands with Queen Elizabeth II, when she visited East Pakistan in 1961. My grandfather, who was a member of the Dacca District Council in East Pakistan, was in the reception committee to greet Queen Elizabeth II, upon her arrival. Next to the Queen, in the picture, is Azam Khan, who was the Governor of East Pakistan at the time.
On one side of my maternal grandfather was Barrister Nurul Huda, and on the other side was Mongshoi Pru, Minister of Minority Affairs.