Arsonists torch headquarters of Bangladeshi party supporting ousted leader Sheikh Hasina

No group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack on the Jatiya Party headquarters in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh. Media outlets reported that attackers stormed the party offices in the Bijoy Nagar area, clashing with party members before setting the premises ablaze. 

The arson occurred on Thursday night (October 31, 2024), targeting the headquarters of the Jatiya Party, a political group that had supported ousted leader Sheikh Hasina. There were no immediate reports of injuries. 

The extent of the damage remains unclear. Rashed bin Khaled, an official with the Fire Service and Civil Defense, confirmed that firefighters were dispatched to the scene but provided no additional details.

The Jatiya Party, Bangladesh’s third-largest political party, was founded by former military ruler H.M. Ershad in the 1980s. Critics have long accused the party of propping up Hasina’s government, which ruled for 15 years until her ouster in August. 

As the attack unfolded, Hasnat Abdullah, a prominent leader of the student protest movement that led to Hasina’s removal, called for the “destruction” of the Jatiya Party. In a Facebook post, Abdullah labeled the party a “national betrayer” for its role in supporting Hasina’s government. Abdullah, associated with the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, also urged students to march from Dhaka University to the party headquarters.

Mujibul Haque Chunnu, the secretary general of the Jatiya Party, accused student activists of orchestrating the attack. “People are witnessing what they are doing to us,” he said. “It’s live on social media ... they are acting publicly, in the open.”

Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League governed Bangladesh from 2009 until August 2024. Critics have alleged that the Jatiya Party lent legitimacy to her rule, as other major political parties boycotted elections during her tenure.