Khulna: Leaders and activists of the Awami League entered the party’s district and metropolitan office in Khulna on Sunday afternoon, where they placed wreaths on portraits of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and Sheikh Hasina. They also hoisted the national flag and chanted slogans during their visit.
According to United News of Bangladesh, the visit took place at the office located in the Shankha Market area around 4 pm, and a video of the event later circulated on social media. However, the situation escalated later that night when protests erupted against the Awami League leaders’ activities, leading to the office being set on fire. Former leaders of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement organized the protest, during which wooden doors and documents were burned. The fire was eventually extinguished.
Members of the Fire Service arrived at the scene following the incident. Several Awami League activists, who spoke on condition of anonymity, mentioned that the visit was not organized under any formal party directive. They revealed that the office had been locked, which they forcefully opened before hoisting the national flag and paying tribute with garlands.
Eyewitnesses and local residents reported that 10-15 activists entered the office in a procession during the afternoon, paid brief tribute to the portraits, and quickly departed. In response, several students later entered the office and set fire to the portraits as a form of protest.
Khulna Sadar Police Station Officer-in-Charge Md Kabir Hossain stated that a group of people had opened the Khulna district and metropolitan Awami League office in the afternoon. “After being informed about it, we started collecting and reviewing CCTV footage from surrounding establishments to identify those involved,” he said. He further noted that later in the evening, some agitated students came and set fire to the office, resulting in damage to the two displayed portraits.