Petrol Bomb Attack Targets Shakib Al Hasan’s Ancestral Home in Magura

Melbourne, 6 August: The ancestral home of former Bangladesh cricket captain and former lawmaker Shakib Al Hasan has been attacked with petrol bombs in Magura.

The attack shattered windows and sparked a fire on the upper floor of the house. Police said no one was injured because the property was empty at the time.

Citing Reuters, Nepalese English-language news outlet Ratopati reported that a group attacked Shakib’s residence in Magura city on Wednesday. Magura is located approximately 170 kilometres southwest of the capital, Dhaka.

According to police, the attackers threw petrol bombs at the house, causing a fire on its upper floor and damaging parts of the property. The identities of the attackers and the precise motive behind the incident were not immediately known.

The attack occurred only hours after Shakib participated virtually in a media event featuring Bangladesh’s ousted former prime minister, Sheikh Hasina.

The Foreign Correspondents’ Club of South Asia organised the event in New Delhi. It was described as Hasina’s first public interaction with the media since she left Bangladesh following the collapse of her government on 5 August 2024.

During the event, Hasina reiterated her intention to return to Bangladesh in December despite the possibility of imprisonment or execution.

“I will return to my people. I know they can jail me or kill me, but I have to return,” Hasina said.

Shakib was elected to Parliament from the Magura-1 constituency as an Awami League candidate in January 2024. He has remained outside Bangladesh since Hasina’s government fell amid a student-led uprising and widespread political unrest.

The report stated that Shakib is facing investigations over several allegations, including murder, embezzlement, fraud and money laundering. However, it did not include his response to those allegations or indicate whether any of them had been proven in court.

At the virtual media event, Hasina also called for the ban on the Awami League’s political activities to be lifted. She led the party for more than four decades before her removal from power.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned Hasina’s participation in the New Delhi media event, describing it as an “insult to Bangladesh’s sovereignty.”

The ministry also warned that allowing Hasina to address the media from Indian territory could affect relations between Dhaka and New Delhi.

Hasina, 78, has been living in New Delhi since August 2024. Bangladesh has formally requested her extradition, while India has said the request is being examined according to its legal procedures.

In November 2025, Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal sentenced Hasina to death in absentia over alleged crimes against humanity connected to the deadly crackdown on the 2024 uprising. Hasina has denied the allegations and described the proceedings against her as politically motivated.

It was not immediately known whether police had arrested anyone or formally opened an investigation into the attack on Shakib’s home.

Photo caption: Former Bangladesh cricket captain and former lawmaker Shakib Al Hasan. Petrol bombs were reportedly thrown at his ancestral home in Magura, causing a fire on the upper floor, but no injuries were reported.

Source: Reuters