Protesters set fire to the house of Bangladesh founder Sheikh Mujibur Rahman

A large group of protesters yesterday vandalized and burned the residence of Bangladesh's founder, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, in Dhaka, while his daughter, ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina, was addressing the nation via video.

Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's house was set on fire while his daughter Hasina was delivering a speech organized by the disbanded Awami League, a student organization now known as the Chhatra League, calling on citizens to launch an opposition movement against the current Bangladesh government led by Nobel Prize winner Muhammad Yunus.  

The ousted former Prime Minister of Bangladesh added: "Protesters can demolish houses but not history; and they should remember that history takes revenge."

The student movement had previously vowed to repeal the 1972 Bangladesh Constitution and bury the "Mujib constitution", while some right-wing extremist groups have proposed changing the national anthem adopted by the Sheikh Mujib-led government after independence.

Sheikh Hasina has said that the protesters have not yet gained the strength to destroy the national flag, constitution and their freedom, for which millions of Bangladeshis sacrificed their lives to liberate their country. 

The house is a long-standing landmark in Bangladesh's history, as Sheikh Mujibur Rahman led the independence movement for decades from the house during the Awami League's rule, when it was converted into a museum and regularly visited by foreign heads of state or dignitaries, according to government protocol.