Former Bangladesh cricket captain and ex-Awami League MP Shakib Al Hasan's ancestral home in Bangladesh's Magura was attacked with a petrol bomb on Wednesday night, just hours after he appeared virtually alongside former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at a press conference held in New Delhi. Hasan participated virtually alongside Hasina's son Sajeeb Wazed Joy and several senior Awami League leaders, including former Education Minister Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury Nowfel.
Videos have since surfaced on social media. One such video, shared by local news channels, shows a bomb exploding and flames erupting outside Shakib Al Hasan's ancestral home. The video later shows the damage caused to the residence. It was also shared by Sheikh Hasina's Awami League on its X account.
Petrol bomb thrown at former Bangladesh cricket team captain and Magura-1 MP Shakib Al Hasan's ancestral house in Keshabmor, Magura, Bangladesh.
— OSINT Spectator (@osintspectator) August 5, 2026
pic.twitter.com/NhygMbPa1u
According to a report by NDTV, the attack took place at around 8:45 pm local time at Shakib Al Hasan's ancestral residence in the Keshabmor area of Magura town. The report further noted that unidentified individuals hurled a petrol bomb at the house and vandalised the property.
The attack came amid heightened political tensions in Bangladesh, where Hasina reiterated her plans to return to despite facing legal proceedings and a death sentence handed down in absentia.
Awami League Responds To The Attack
The Awami League issued a statement, reacting to the attack on Hasan's ancestral home. In its post on X, the party alleged that Hasan's residence was targeted because of his participation in the event. "Torching residences: the cost of attending an Awami League press conference. Neo fascism engulfs Bangladesh," the party said.
Torching residences : the cost of attending Awami League press conference
— Bangladesh Awami League (@albd1971) August 5, 2026
Neo fascism engulfs Bangladesh
A grisly petrol bomb attack took place at the residence of Bangladesh's celebrated cricket icon Sakib Al hasan, hours after the world famous star cricketer appeared at a… pic.twitter.com/Uqmwwih3XG
The statement further claimed that political opponents had threatened media organisations ahead of the press conference and described the attack as part of what it called an ongoing campaign against Awami League members and supporters.
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Hasina's Address
Sheikh Hasina has been living in India since August 5, 2024, after leaving Bangladesh following months of anti-government protests that led to the collapse of her government. During her address at the virtual press conference organised at the Foreign Correspondents' Club in New Delhi, Hasina declared that she would return to Bangladesh in December despite the possibility of arrest or death. "My return is not about power, it's about putting Bangladesh back on track of development, secularism and prosperity," she said.
Last November, a special tribunal in Dhaka sentenced Hasina to death in absentia over alleged crimes against humanity linked to her government's crackdown on the 2024 student-led protests. Since then, Bangladesh has repeatedly sought her extradition from India.
During the virtual press conference, she said, "I know, they may put me in jail or kill me. I will go back home to be with my people. I have decided to go and I will go to Bangladesh."
Hasina also appealed to the international community to support what she described as Bangladesh's struggle for democracy and justice, alleging that organised groups had turned the 2024 protests into a violent political movement.
Following the political transition in August 2024, the Awami League was barred from political activities in Bangladesh. Hasina used Wednesday's address to call for the ban on her party to be lifted.
Her decision to address the media from Indian territory also sparked a diplomatic row, with Bangladesh seeking clarification from New Delhi earlier this week over the press conference.
Shakib's Political Links
Shakib Al Hasan's appearance alongside Hasina once again drew attention to his political association with the Awami League, which has remained controversial since the change in government.
The former Bangladesh captain Shakib Al Hasan was elected as an MP from the Magura-1 constituency in the 2024 general election on an Awami League ticket, an election that opposition parties criticised as lacking genuine competition.
Since the fall of the Hasina government, Hasan has not returned to Bangladesh and currently lives with his family in the United States while continuing to play franchise cricket.
Multiple criminal cases were filed against him, including a murder case in which he has been named among several accused.
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