The ancestral home of former Bangladesh cricket captain Shakib Al Hasan in Magura district came under attack by unidentified individuals on Tuesday evening, just hours after he attended a virtual address by ousted former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
According to police, the attackers hurled bricks and stones at the house, smashed windows, and attempted to set the property on fire. No injuries were reported.
Residents also reported hearing loud explosion-like sounds during the incident, which police said were likely fireworks.
Some local media outlets claimed petrol bombs were thrown at the house, but authorities have not officially confirmed those reports.
Magura Sadar Police Station Officer-in-Charge Abdullah Al Mamun told The Daily Star that a group of miscreants vandalized the property and tried to ignite it.
Additional police personnel have since been deployed outside the residence, while an investigation is underway to identify those responsible and determine the motive.
The attack occurred only hours after Shakib participated in a virtual media event hosted by the Foreign Correspondents Club of South Asia, during which Sheikh Hasina defended her government’s stance on the political unrest of July and August 2024.
She claimed the student-led movement that led to her removal from power had been a carefully planned campaign for regime change.
Ahead of the event, leaders of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), Jamaat-e-Islami, and the National Citizen Party (NCP) criticized the program and urged media organizations not to broadcast Hasina’s speech.
Supporters of Hasina’s Awami League have suggested that the attack on Shakib’s home may have been linked to his participation in the event. However,
Bangladeshi authorities have not established any connection between the incident and the virtual address, and police have yet to identify the attackers.
Shakib Al Hasan, widely regarded as one of Bangladesh’s greatest all-round cricketers, also served as a Member of Parliament for the Awami League after winning the Magura-1 seat in the 2024 general election.
His political affiliation has remained a source of controversy following the fall of Sheikh Hasina’s government in August 2024. Since then, the Awami League has faced restrictions on political activities, while Hasina has vowed to return to Bangladesh despite ongoing legal challenges.
