DHAKA : The ancestral residence of former Bangladesh cricket captain Shakib Al Hasan came under attack on Wednesday, following his participation in a virtual media event hosted by ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, during which she vowed to return to the country this December.
According to police reports, a group of assailants targeted Shakib’s family home in Magura town, located approximately 170 kilometers (105 miles) southwest of Dhaka.
The attack involved hurling petrol bombs and smashing windows, which triggered a fire on the upper floor of the property. Fortunately, the residence was unoccupied at the time, and no injuries were reported.
The incident unfolded hours after Shakib, a former lawmaker representing the Awami League, joined an online audio briefing organized by the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of South Asia in New Delhi.
During the session, Hasina reaffirmed her intention to return to Bangladesh, despite facing a death sentence handed down in absentia.
Shakib, who secured a parliamentary seat as an Awami League candidate in January 2024, has remained abroad since the student-led uprising that forced Hasina’s government from power.
He currently faces several legal investigations in Bangladesh, encompassing allegations of murder, embezzlement, fraud, and money laundering.
“I will return to my people,” Hasina stated during the audio address. “I know that they may put me in jail or they may kill me, but still I have to go back.”
Marking the second anniversary of her removal, the virtual gathering served as Hasina’s first public engagement with the media since she fled Bangladesh in 2024.
During the conference, she also asserted that the political ban on the Awami League—a party she led for over four decades—should be lifted following its suspension from political activities.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Bangladesh strongly condemned Hasina’s public media appearance, characterizing it as an “affront to the sovereignty of Bangladesh.” The ministry warned that permitting her to address the media from Indian soil could adversely impact bilateral relations between the two nations.
Now 78 years old, Hasina has resided in New Delhi since August 2024. While Dhaka has formally requested her extradition from India, New Delhi has indicated that the request is currently being reviewed in accordance with domestic legal frameworks.
In November 2025, Bangladesh’s war crimes tribunal sentenced Hasina to death in absentia for her role in the deadly crackdown on the 2024 student-led protests—charges that she has consistently dismissed as politically motivated.
