Officials of Bangladesh’s Ministry of Road Transport and Bridges, located at Setu Bhaban in Mohakhali, Dhaka, are afraid to enter the building that was attacked and severely damaged during the recent student-led protests in the country.
The ministry, headed by an Awami League minister, has been at the centre of controversy, facing intense backlash during protests over quotas. During the protests, angry students set fire to the ministry building and vandalised government property and vehicles parked inside.
An estimated 65 million taka worth of vehicles were burnt to ashes, including 57 cars, ranging from SUVs and pickup trucks to minibuses and motorcycles, all of which were used for ministry operations and official engagements.
The incident left the Setu Bhavan building a charred and uninhabitable structure.
Ministry officials ANI spoke to said they are now afraid to enter the building due to its dilapidated state. They have been forced to carry out their duties in the open, operating from makeshift facilities. The protest, which began as a demonstration against the government’s quota system, quickly grew into a larger movement, raising serious concerns about the security and stability of government institutions in the capital.
On July 27, Bangladesh’s leading publication Prothom Alo reported that “On July 18, several hundred miscreants stormed the Setu Bhaban and badly vandalized it, set it on fire and looted government property of the bhaban.” “They also vandalized many vehicles and motorcycles, looted different sheds and rooms and then set them on fire and beat many employees of the Setu Bhaban black and blue,” the publication reported.
The vandalism was part of student-led protests against quotas in government jobs. Sheikh Hasina left the country for New Delhi on August 5 after resigning as prime minister. On Thursday, an interim government in Bangladesh, headed by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus, was sworn in.
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