DHAKA: The grand palace of Bangladesh’s former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, once a symbol of her rule, will be transformed into a museum commemorating the people’s revolution that ended her 15-year reign, the country’s caretaker government said on Monday.
Bangladesh’s caretaker government leader, Muhammad Yunus, made the announcement while visiting the Ganabhaban palace, Hasina’s former official residence.
“The museum should preserve memories of her misrule and the people’s anger when they removed her from power,” Yunus said as he toured the now-dilapidated palace, which still bears the marks of public fury. Walls are covered with graffiti condemning her rule, and many areas remain damaged following the chaotic aftermath of her departure.
The decision to establish the museum follows a student-led uprising that culminated on August 5 when Hasina fled the country by helicopter to India. Hasina’s lengthy rule was marked by widespread allegations of human rights abuses, including the detention and extrajudicial killings of her political opponents.
Earlier this month, a Bangladeshi court issued a warrant for her arrest, accusing her of responsibility for the deaths of over 700 people during crackdowns on protests.
In one of the museum’s planned exhibits, a replica of the infamous “House of Mirrors” or Aynaghar detention center will remind visitors of the harrowing experiences of detainees held in total isolation under Hasina’s regime. “The Aynaghar should remind visitors of the torture endured by secret prisoners,” Yunus said.
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The violent ouster of Hasina also sparked a wave of civil unrest, including an attack on the home of her father, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Bangladesh’s founding president, where a museum was looted in the chaos that ensued.
Apurba Jahangir, a spokesperson in Yunus’s office, confirmed that construction on the new museum would begin by December. “The museum construction hasn’t begun yet, but it will start soon,” Jahangir told AFP.
Sheikh Hasina, now 77, has not been seen in public since her flight from Bangladesh. Her last confirmed location was a military airbase near New Delhi, India’s capital, with no further updates on her whereabouts.
