Former Bangladesh Captain Shakib Al Hasan’s ancestral home in Magura was attacked on Wednesday night, with windows damaged and an incendiary device thrown at the property hours after he participated in a virtual media event involving ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. According to a report by Reuters, police said the attack caused a fire on the upper floor of the unoccupied residence, with no injuries reported.
The incident places renewed attention on Shakib’s political association with Hasina and the Awami League, having been elected to parliament as the party’s candidate for Magura-1 in January 2024. The former Bangladesh all-rounder has remained outside the country since the student-led uprising that removed Hasina’s government later that year.
Attack targets Shakib’s ancestral home
The attack took place in Magura, around 170 kilometres southwest of Dhaka. People targeted the property with stones, damaging windows, while an incendiary device was thrown towards the residence and started a fire.
Neighbours intervened to extinguish the flames before they could cause more extensive damage. Police began investigating the incident and identifying those responsible, while the property was confirmed to have been unoccupied when the attack occurred.
The timing followed Shakib’s involvement earlier in the day in a virtual event organised by the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of South Asia in New Delhi. The event marked Hasina’s first public interaction with the media since she left Bangladesh in 2024.
Shakib’s political ties provide wider context
Shakib entered national politics when he contested the January 2024 general election for the Awami League and won the Magura-1 parliamentary seat. His political career subsequently became intertwined with the upheaval surrounding the fall of Hasina’s government.
Since remaining outside Bangladesh following the 2024 uprising, Shakib has faced multiple investigations involving allegations including murder, embezzlement, fraud and money laundering.
His participation in the virtual event brought him back into the public discussion surrounding the former government. The appearance came on the second anniversary of Hasina’s removal from power.
Hasina vows to return to Bangladesh
Hasina has been living in New Delhi since August 2024, while Bangladesh has sought her extradition from India. In November 2025, Bangladesh’s war crimes tribunal sentenced her to death in absentia over the crackdown on the 2024 student-led uprising, allegations she has rejected as politically motivated.
Former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said during the virtual media event organised by the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of South Asia in New Delhi, “I will return to my people,”
Hasina continued, “I know that they may put me in jail or they may kill me, but still I have to go back.”
The former Prime Minister also called for the ban on the Awami League to be lifted after the party was barred from political activity following her removal.
Bangladesh responds to virtual media appearance
Bangladesh’s Foreign Ministry condemned Hasina’s participation in the media event, characterising the appearance as an affront to the country’s sovereignty and warning about its potential impact on relations with India.
Bangladesh has requested Hasina’s extradition, while India has said the matter is being considered through its legal procedures.
The attack on Shakib’s Magura residence occurred against that wider political backdrop, but caused no reported injuries because the property was empty at the time. Police are investigating the incident as authorities seek to identify those responsible.
