Bangladesh Unrest: Mujibur's Statues Demolished, What Happens To Founding Father's Legacy With Hasina's Exit?

Anti-government protesters climb atop a statue of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Bangladesh's founding father and parent of ousted PM Sheikh Hasina, in Dhaka on August 5. (Image: Abu SUFIAN JEWEL/AFP)

The Awami League showcased Sheikh Mujibur Rahman as a cult personality but his legacy, however, stands marred by the iron rule of his daughter Sheikh Hasina. Like her, his administration was also overtaken by corruption and nepotism in the later years

As Sheikh Hasina’s 15-year rule ended in Bangladesh after more than a month of deadly protests, founding father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s statues across the country were smashed while a museum dedicated to him was set on fire.

This marks a significant deterioration in how the Awami League showcased Mujibur as a cult personality. His legacy, however, stands marred by the iron rule of his daughter and, like her, his administration was also overtaken by corruption and nepotism in the later years.

Experts said the Awami League has long been centred around a cult of personality focused on Mujibur. But, as millions of Bangladeshis took to the streets across the country, it shows how public anger can bring down even the loftiest of personalities.

In the aftermath of Hasina’s resignation, jubilant crowds waved flags, some dancing on top of a tank, before thousands broke through the gates of her residence. Others later stormed parliament.

Crowds were seen running into the prime minister’s compound, grinning and waving to the camera, looting furniture and books, or relaxing on beds. Mobs also raided and ransacked the homes of Awami League party allies as well as police stations.

Mujibur’s popularity soared immediately after he led Bangladesh to independence in 1971. Also known as ‘Bangabandhu’, he was, however, assassinated in August 1975.

Senior journalist and research Zulkarnain Saer said in 1975, Mujib established a one-party system, banning newspapers and dissolving opposition parties. “This autocratic shift drastically eroded his public support and culminated in the tragic assassination of Mujib and his entire family,” he wrote in a post on X.

Hasina’s government, too, followed a similar trajectory when it came to power for the second time in 2008. Hasina then ruled Bangladesh from 2009 and won her fourth consecutive election in January after a vote without genuine opposition. Her government was accused by rights groups of misusing state institutions to entrench its hold on power and stamp out dissent, including through the extrajudicial killing of opposition activists.

She attracted widespread criticism for implementing the draconian Digital Security Act, abolishing the caretaker government system, and allowing unchecked corruption to spread.

“The opposition parties have been rendered almost non-existent, with hundreds of thousands of @bdbnp78 and @BJI_Official members imprisoned on what are widely considered to be false charges. Hasina established total control under the guise of democracy, only to find herself facing a fate similar to the one she once dictated for others — forced to flee the country,” Saer said.

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