Tiles to commodes, loot continues at burning Awami League office in Dhaka

Dhaka: Several parts of the central office of the Awami League in Dhaka were set on fire again on Tuesday afternoon even as hundreds of people continued to loot furniture, tiles, rods and even commodes from the burning building, reported Bangladesh media.

The office in Gulistan area of the capital was set on fire a short while after party chief and Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned and left the country on Monday.

Some more parts of the building were put on fire again at around 12.30 PM Tuesday even as people continued ransacking it and leaving with whatever they could lay their hands on.

"It can be seen that the fire is burning on the second and third floor of the office. In such a situation, all the furniture inside the floors where the fire is extinguished, is being taken away. Someone is coming out from inside the office with a rod, someone is opening the commode in the bathroom and coming out with it on their head. Someone is taking a chair, someone is taking a table. Someone is taking away the electronic," reported Prothom Alo, a leading Bengali newspaper in Bangladesh.

Attendance at various government offices in Dhaka remained quite low on Tuesday amid growing fear and anxiety.

Tension gripped several ministry offices where portraits and photographs of Hasina were taken down immediately.

"The smell of the fire from the Awami League office in the morning could be sensed from the Secretariat, increasing the fear among the officers and employees. Many people were leaving the Secretariat out of fear," reported Dhaka Tribune.

The newspaper quoted an official as saying that people were currently working "under the directives of the Secretary" and will keenly watch how the situation unfolds.

"Some officers and employees believed that leaving the Secretariat in this situation could be exploited by miscreants, potentially damaging important state documents. Therefore, they preferred to stay at the office," the report mentioned.

The Daily Star reported that at least 24 people were killed after a mob set fire to Zabeer International Hotel owned by Shahin Chakladar, the general secretary of Jashore District Awami League in the Khulna Division.

"The bodies were lying on different floors," said Mamun Mahmud, Deputy Director of Khulna Fire Service who said that the blaze was finally doused around 5:45 am, local time on Tuesday.

The local media also reported a surge in sale of bail bonds in Dhaka courts following the decision that hearings will be held immediately whenever a bail application is made in a political case.

"After receiving the news, lawyers began applying for bail for the accused arrested in political cases starting from Tuesday morning.

"Since morning, long queues of lawyers have formed at every booth in the court to buy bail bonds. The decision to hear bail applications was taken during a meeting with lawyers earlier in the morning in the district judge's court meeting room," reported Dhaka Tribune.