Residence of chief justice left unguarded after attack, looting

The attack on the building occurred soon after Sheikh Hasina’s resignation. The chief justice was not at home at the time

Furniture and materials are haphazardly strewn about the official residence of the chief justice on Hare Road after an attack and looting.

After the fall of the Sheikh Hasina-led government, the official residence of Bangladesh’s chief justice was attacked during a series of attacks on public and private buildings across the country.

No one attempted to stop them. The attackers made off with whatever they wanted. However, unlike the situation in many other buildings, no fires were ignited at the location.

Since the attack on Aug 5, the house has been left completely unguarded. The usual strict police security around the building is nowhere to be seen.

With the absence of the police, anyone can walk through the main gate unhindered.

No security guard could be seen on duty at the main gate of the chief justice’s residence in the capital’s Hare Road on Friday.

Inside, household items were strewn everywhere.

Peeking through the gate, one passer-by said:

“What do you see, brother? There is no one anywhere.”

A group of people marched to the chief justice’s residence on the afternoon of Aug 5, soon after Sheikh Hasina resigned and fled the country in the face of a student-led mass anti-government movement. The group vandalised and looted the residence.

Inside the main gates, furniture and household items were thrown about everywhere. The vandalism of the main building is apparent from quite a distance.

Even after waiting for a long period of time, this reporter was unable to find someone to provide a comment. A Bailey Road resident who had left home to take part in Jummah prayers said that they had not seen anyone on duty at the residence since the attack. It has stood abandoned.

According to media reports, Chief Justice Obaidul Hassan had left home shortly before the surprise attack on the building.

There was also an attack on the Judge’s Complex residential building opposite the chief justice’s residence that evening. A massive crowd gathered and shouted insults at the justices. Some of them entered by climbing the fence, attacked the building, and vandalised it.

At one point, a group of pro-BNP lawyers and students stood in front of the gates and asked the crowd not to attack the building.

“The justices’ residences are our state property. They are the property of the nation. It would not be right to attack them and tarnish our achievements,” the students kept repeating to the crowd.