DHAKA: Former Bangladesh cricket captain Shakib Al Hasan’s ancestral home was attacked on Wednesday after he participated in the first public media event of ousted former prime minister Sheikh Hasina since her removal from power in 2024, during which she vowed to return to Bangladesh in December.
According to police, a group of attackers smashed windows and hurled bricks and two petrol bombs at Shakib’s residence in Magura, around 170 kilometres southwest of Dhaka. The assault sparked a fire on the upper floor of the house, but no injuries were reported as the property was vacant at the time.
Reuters was unable to contact Shakib for comment.
The attack came just hours after the former all-rounder, who previously served as an Awami League lawmaker, joined a virtual event organised by the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of South Asia in New Delhi.
During the event, Hasina reaffirmed her intention to return to Bangladesh despite facing a death sentence.
“I will return to my people. I know they may imprison me or even kill me, but I still have to go back,” Hasina said.
The event marked Hasina’s first public interaction with the media since she fled Bangladesh following the student-led uprising that ousted her government in 2024.
Shakib, who was elected to parliament as an Awami League candidate in January 2024, has remained outside Bangladesh since the change in government. He is facing multiple investigations, including allegations of murder, embezzlement, fraud and money laundering.
During the same media interaction, Hasina also demanded that the ban on the Awami League be lifted, saying the party should be allowed to resume political activities.
Bangladesh’s foreign ministry strongly criticised Hasina’s appearance, calling it “an affront to the sovereignty of Bangladesh” and warning that allowing her to address the media from India could negatively affect bilateral relations.
Hasina, 78, has been living in New Delhi since August 2024 after leaving Bangladesh. The Bangladeshi government has requested her extradition from India, while New Delhi says the request is being examined under legal procedures.
In November 2025, Bangladesh’s war crimes tribunal sentenced Hasina to death in absentia over the deadly crackdown on the 2024 student-led protests. She has rejected the charges, describing them as politically motivated.
