Dhaka – (Special Correspondent/Web Desk) – The Shakib Al Hasan house attacked incident has shocked cricket fans across Bangladesh. Unknown attackers smashed windows and threw petrol bombs at the former national cricket captain’s family home in Magura town on Wednesday night.
The house sits about 170 kilometers southwest of Dhaka. Police confirmed that a mob targeted the property, setting fire to its upper floor. Thankfully, nobody was inside when the attack happened, so no injuries were reported.
This wasn’t a random act. The attack came just hours after Shakib joined a virtual event hosted by the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of South Asia in New Delhi. During that event, ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina spoke to media for the first time since fleeing Bangladesh in 2024.
Hasina made bold claims during her address. She said she plans to return to Bangladesh by December, even though a war crimes tribunal sentenced her to death in absentia last November. “I will return to my people,” she said. “I know that they may put me in jail or they may kill me, but still I have to go back.”
Shakib’s link to Hasina runs deep. He won a parliamentary seat as an Awami League candidate back in January 2024. Since the student-led uprising that removed Hasina from power, Shakib has stayed outside the country. He now faces several serious investigations, including allegations tied to murder, fraud, embezzlement, and money laundering.
Reuters reached out to Shakib for a response to the house attack, but he couldn’t be reached for comment.
During the same media event, Hasina also called for lifting the ban placed on her Awami League party. That ban has kept the party out of political activity since her removal from office.
Bangladesh’s government didn’t take Hasina’s appearance lightly. The foreign ministry issued a strong statement, calling her media appearance “an affront to the sovereignty of Bangladesh.” Officials also warned that letting Hasina speak to the press from Indian soil could strain relations between the two countries.
Hasina, who is 78 years old, has lived in New Delhi since fleeing Bangladesh in August 2024. Bangladesh has formally asked India to extradite her. India, in response, says the request is still under legal review.
The timing of this event matters too. It marked exactly two years since the uprising that ended Hasina’s decades-long rule, making her public remarks even more significant for both supporters and critics back home.
For now, questions remain unanswered. Who exactly attacked Shakib’s house? Was it connected to public anger over his political ties? Local authorities haven’t named any suspects yet, and investigations are ongoing.
This story continues to develop, and updates will follow as more details emerge from Bangladesh.
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