Petrol Bomb Attack on Shakib Al Hasan's Home After Hasina's Press Conference

A petrol bomb was thrown at the ancestral home of former Bangladesh cricket captain and former Awami League MP Shakib Al Hasan on Wednesday night, hours after he appeared virtually alongside former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at a press conference in New Delhi. The attack took place around 8:45 pm local time at his residence in the Keshabmor area of Magura town. The house was also vandalised, according to local reports.

The incident occurred shortly after Sheikh Hasina addressed a virtual press conference organised at the Foreign Correspondents' Club in New Delhi. During the event, Hasina declared her determination to return to Bangladesh in December, saying she was prepared to face arrest or even death in what she described as an effort to restore democracy.

"My return is not about power, it's about putting Bangladesh back on track of development, secularism and prosperity," she said. The 78-year-old former prime minister acknowledged the risks awaiting her. "I know, they may put me in jail or kill me," she added, stating, "I will go back home to be with my people. I have decided to go and I will go to Bangladesh."

In response to the attack on Shakib Al Hasan's home, the Awami League issued a statement condemning the incident and attributing it to political opponents. The statement claimed that "torching residences : the cost of attending Awami League press conference" and described the incident as a "grisly petrol bomb attack" on the "celebrated cricket icon." It further alleged that the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), Islamist Jamaat and National Citizen's Party (NCP) had threatened media outlets ahead of the press conference, and called the attack "yet another testament to ongoing genocidal campaign against Awami League activists." These claims have not been independently verified.

Shakib Al Hasan, who served as an MP for the Awami League in the last parliament, has not publicly commented on the attack or the press conference. The cricketer's political association has been a subject of controversy in Bangladesh, particularly after the political changes in August 2024.

Sheikh Hasina has been living in India since August 5, 2024, when she fled Dhaka following the collapse of her government after months of anti-government protests. Last November, a special tribunal in Dhaka sentenced her to death in absentia over alleged "crimes against humanity" linked to her government's crackdown on the 2024 student-led protests. Since the verdict, Bangladesh has repeatedly sought her extradition from India, but no official request has been granted so far.

"Fear has entered homes, work places and educational campuses; this is not the Bangladesh we built. I call upon the international community to stand with the people of Bangladesh in their struggle for democracy and justice," Hasina said during the press conference. She added that organised groups had deliberately transformed the protests into a violent political campaign.

Alongside Hasina and her son Sajeeb Wazed Joy, several Awami League figures participated virtually, including former Education Minister Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury Nowfel.

Hasina's decision to address the media from Indian territory has become a diplomatic issue. Earlier this week, Bangladesh sought clarification from New Delhi over the press conference, which was held without prior intimation to the Bangladeshi government. The attack on Shakib Al Hasan's home is likely to further elevate tensions between the two neighbours, already strained by the political developments and Hasina's presence in India.

Local authorities in Magura have launched an investigation into the attack. No arrests have been reported so far.