Petrol bomb attack at Shakib Al Hasan’s house in B’desh hours after he joined presser in Delhi with Sheikh Hasina

New Delhi/Dhaka: A petrol bomb was hurled at the ancestral residence of former Bangladesh cricket skipper and former Awami League MP Shakib Al Hasan on Wednesday night, hours after appearing virtually at a press conference alongside the country’s former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in India.

The incident took place at around 8:45 p.m. local time on Wednesday at Shakib Al Hasan’s ancestral residence in the Keshabmor area of Magura town. The house was also vandalised.

According to police and local sources, the petrol bomb was thrown at the upper portion of the iron gate on the southern side of the house.

On receiving the information, a team from Magura Sadar Police Station visited the site and inspected the situation. However, police could not immediately confirm who was responsible for the attack, according toa Dhaka Tribune report.

Magura Sadar Police Station Officer-in-Charge Abdul Al Mamun said: “We are looking into the incident. It cannot be confirmed at this stage whether it was a petrol bomb. The actual circumstances will be known after the investigation.”

The incident came shortly after Sheikh Hasina addressed a virtual press conference organised at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club in New Delhi.

“Torching residences : the cost of attending Awami League press conference. Neo fascism engulfs Bangladesh,” the Awami League said in a statement on social media platform X.

“A grisly petrol bomb attack took place at the residence of Bangladesh’s celebrated cricket icon Sakib Al hasan, hours after the world famous star cricketer appeared at a press conference with honourable party president Sheikh Hasina. Ahead of the press conference, BNP, Islamist Jamaat and NCP all publicly threatened national media outlets to weaponise judiciary to sue in case of reports of the press conferences. This calculated attack is yet another testament to ongoing genocidal campaign against awmai league activists in the name of democracy building project, hallmarks of fascism,” the statement added.

Speaking virtually, Sheikh Hasina declared that she was determined to return to Bangladesh in December, saying she was prepared to face arrest or even death in what she described as an effort to restore democracy.

“My return is not about power, it’s about putting Bangladesh back on track of development, secularism and prosperity,” she said.

The 78-year-old former Prime Minister acknowledged the risks awaiting her if she returned.

“I know, they may put me in jail or kill me,” she said, adding, “I will go back home to be with my people. I have decided to go and I will go to Bangladesh.”

Hasina has been living in India since August 5, 2024, when she fled Dhaka following the collapse of her government after months of anti-government protests.

Last November, a special tribunal in Dhaka sentenced her to death in absentia over alleged “crimes against humanity” linked to her government’s crackdown on the student-led protests of 2024. Since the verdict, Bangladesh has repeatedly sought her extradition from India.

“Fear has entered homes, work places and educational campuses; this is not the Bangladesh we built. I call upon the international community to stand with the people of Bangladesh in their struggle for democracy and justice,” Sheikh Hasina said.

According to Hasina, organised groups had deliberately transformed the protests into a violent political campaign.

“I was forced away from my country but I am never separated from my people,” she said.

Alongside Hasina and her son Sajeeb Wazed Joy, several Awami League figures participated, including former Education Minister Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury Nowfel attended the press conference virtually.

Hasina’s decision to address the media from Indian territory had already become a diplomatic issue. Earlier this week, Bangladesh sought clarification from New Delhi over the press conference.

IANS