Ex-Bangladesh cricket captain Mashrafe Mortaza’s house set on fire: Reports
Sheikh Hasina resignation news: The house of former Bangladesh cricket captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza was reportedly set on fire to amid during violence and chaos in the country following the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her departure on Monday.
Bangladesh cricket captain Mashrafe Bin Mortaza (Getty Images/File)
Mashrafe Mortaza, who is a member of Parliament from the Narail-2 constituency in Khulna division, secured his seat for the second consecutive time as a candidate of the Awami League, led by Sheikh Hasina, during the general elections held earlier this year in Bangladesh.
Bangladeshi media reported that vandals attacked and set Mashrafe Mortaza’s house ablaze after Sheikh Hasina, 76, left the country in the wake of massive student protests.
Also Read | Bangladesh Army chief unveils plan to restore ‘normalcy’ in country
During his cricketing career, Mashrafe Mortaza led Bangladesh in 117 matches across formats, the most for his country. He took 390 international wickets and scored 2,955 runs in 36 Tests, 220 ODIs, and 54 T20Is.
After retiring from cricket, Mashrafe Mortaza entered politics in 2018 by joining the SheikhHasina’s Awami League and was elected as an MP from the Narail-2 constituency.
Also Read | Sudden escalation, losing grip caught Sheikh Hasina off-guard
Bangladesh’s leading daily ‘Dhaka Tribune’ reported that protesters also set fire to the District Awami League office and vandalised the house of its president Subash Chandra Bose.
Mob storms Sheikh Hasina’s palace
Jubilant crowds stormed unopposed into the opulent grounds of the Ganabhaban, the official residence of the Prime Minister in Dhaka, carrying out looted furniture and TVs. One man balanced a red velvet, gilt-edged chair on his head. Another held an armful of vases.
Elsewhere in Dhaka, protesters climbed atop a statue of Sheikh Hasina’s father, state founder Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, and began chiselling away at the head with an axe.
Also Read | Bangladesh unrest: Protesters take away Dior bag, saree from ex-PM Sheikh Hasina’s official residence; eat biryani
The flight into exile ended a 15-year second stint in power for Hasina, who has ruled for 20 of the last 30 years as leader of the political movement inherited from her father, assassinated with most of his family in a 1975 coup.
Hasina had left the country for her own safety at the insistence of her family, her son Sajeeb Wazed Joy told the BBC World Service.
Sheikh Hasina lands in India
Meanwhile, Hasina landed at the Hindon Air Base in Ghaziabad near New Delhi on Monday evening, arriving in a military transport plane of the Bangladesh Air Force.
National Security Adviser Ajit Doval met her at the air base. They did not elaborate on her stay or plans, reports claimed.
There was also no official comment from India, which has strong cultural and trade links with Bangladesh, on the events in Dhaka.
(With inputs from agencies)
