Dhaka (TDI): The ancestral home of former Bangladesh cricket captain Shakib Al Hasan was attacked with petrol bombs and stones on Wednesday, hours after he joined ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s first public media interaction since she fled the country in 2024.
Police said a group attacked the residence in Magura, around 170 kilometres southwest of Dhaka, smashing windows and hurling petrol bombs that caused a fire on the upper floor. The property was unoccupied at the time and no injuries were reported, according to Reuters.
The attack came shortly after Shakib, a former lawmaker from Hasina’s Awami League, participated in a virtual event organized by the Foreign Correspondents Club of South Asia in New Delhi. During the event, Hasina said she intended to return to Bangladesh in December 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.”
Shakib, who was elected to parliament as an Awami League candidate in January 2024, has remained outside Bangladesh since the student-led uprising that forced Hasina from power.
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The former international cricketer faces several investigations, including allegations related to murder, embezzlement, fraud and money laundering.
His participation in Hasina’s virtual appearance has now drawn renewed attention to his political affiliations and could further complicate his position amid Bangladesh’s continuing political transition.
The New Delhi event marked Hasina’s first public media interaction since she fled Bangladesh in August 2024. The former prime minister also called for the ban on the Awami League to be lifted. The party has been barred from political activity following her removal from power.
Hasina, 78, has been living in New Delhi since August 2024. Bangladesh has formally sought her extradition, while India has said the request is being examined through its legal procedures.
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Bangladesh’s Foreign Ministry strongly criticized Hasina’s appearance, describing it as an affront to the country’s sovereignty. Dhaka also warned that allowing the former prime minister to conduct political activities and address the media from Indian territory could damage bilateral relations.
The development comes amid efforts by Bangladesh and India to manage tensions that have persisted since Hasina’s ouster. In November 2025, Bangladesh’s war crimes tribunal sentenced Hasina to death in absentia over her government’s crackdown on the 2024 student-led uprising, which resulted in a large number of deaths. Hasina has rejected the proceedings and allegations against her as politically motivated.
The latest attack on Shakib’s family home highlights the continuing political tensions surrounding the former ruling party and its prominent supporters, even as Hasina seeks to reassert her political presence from exile.
