Bangladesh violence: Folk musician Rahul Ananda's house looted, vandalised and charred to ashes by mob

Violence and unrest continuesacross Bangladesh evenafter the ouster of Sheikh Hasina, which was the demand of protestors.

Sheikh Hasina had to flee her country on Monday (Aug 5), when a violent mob stormed her official residence in Dhaka. Since then, the minorities of Bangladesh including Hindus and Christians have been attacked continuously. In the wake of such anti-minorities violence, the house of popular Bangladeshi folk singer Rahul Ananada was also charred to ashes, as reported by Bangladesh media.

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Ananda’s residence, which was once a haven for culture, was vandalised, looted and burnt on Monday. The absolute mayhem made the cultural hub unrecognisable. The house was situated in Dhaka’s Dhanmondi 32.

Image Courtesy: X

The 140-year-old house of ‘Joler Gaan’ Rahul Ananda, was once used to be flocked by the music fraternity for various events throughout the year. In September 2023, the cultural place was visited by French President Emmanuel Macron on his visit to Bangladesh.

One of the founding members of 'Joler Gaan', Saiful Ismal Jarnal, told The Daily Star that Rahul Ananda and his family were shaken and took refuge in a secret place.

সব শেষ!#Bangaldesh folk singer and cultural activist Rahul Anando’s residence located at #Dhaka’s Dhanmondi vandalised, looted and set on fire by a raging mob on Tuesday. Anando, a renowned artist and member of popular folk band Joler Gaan is on the run with his wife and… pic.twitter.com/F6LlQLeSWG — Indrajit Kundu | ইন্দ্রজিৎ (@iindrojit) August 7, 2024

"Rahul Da and his family are shaken and take shelter to a secret place known to only a few. We could not contact him yet. It was not even his house, it was a rental he was living in for decades," said Jarnal.

"I came to know the incident happened around 4 pm. From what I have heard, a group of goons attacked the residence and Rahul Da, Shukla Di (Rahul's wife), Tota (his son) and other family members somehow got out," said Jarnal.

The mob first ravaged the house and took whatever they could, from furniture, and mirrors to valuables. After that, they set the house on fire along with Ananda's musical instruments, a priced cultural possession, as per The Daily Star.

"Rahul Da owned a collection of over 3000 musical instruments which he designed and made over the years. I can say that he might have suffered a loss of Tk 10 lakh over the household things, but how could you put a price on the instruments which he so lovingly built?" asked Jarnal, a musician himself.

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Ananda’s residence was adjacent to the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s home at Dhanmondi 32.

In response to the incident, Joler Gaan posted a song from their official page with a caption that reads, "The house on Dhanmondi 32, once a sanctuary for Rahul Ananda and the Joler Gaan ensemble, was not just a residence but a creative hub where countless songs and instruments were crafted."

(With inputs from agencies)