At least 24 people, including a foreign national, were burnt alive by a mob in Bangladesh at a hotel owned by a leader of Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League party after the former PM’s resignation, local journalists and hospital sources said on Tuesday.
The victims, who were lodged at the hotel, were burnt alive late on Monday night as the mob set fire to Zabir International Hotel owned by district Awami League general secretary Shahin Chakkladar in Joshor district, according to PTI.
Among the deceased was an Indonesian national who was present in the hotel during the incident, a local journalist said.
The doctors at Joshor General Hospital confirmed they counted 24 bodies. However, more bodies are expected to be found inside the debris.
According to reports, an unidentified mob, opposed to the Awami League government, set the ground floor of the hotel on fire which quickly spread to the upper floors.
Meanwhile, thousands of protesters also looted and vandalised Sheikh Hasina’s official residence in Dhaka, smashed a statue of her father Mujibur Rahman with hammers and set her party’s offices on fire.
Video footage showed protesters vandalising and looting Hasina’s official residence. They were seen celebrating on the Ganabhaban premises waving their hands in the air.
Many of them were seen walking away with bags, sofas, chairs and furniture. Viral footage showed protesters climbing a statue of Hasina’s father in Ganabhaban and smashing it with hammers.
An angry mob also vandalised residences and business establishments of many Awami League leaders and activists, including its central office in Bangabandhu Avenue in the capital.
Bangladesh descended into chaos on Monday after Hasina resigned, fled the country and landed in India while the army stepped in to fill the power vacuum. The Awami League office in the capital was also set on fire. Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan’s house was ransacked. The crowd also entered the Parliament building.
