Bangladesh to convert ex-PM Sheikh Hasina’s palace into museum to honour revolution

The former palace of Bangladesh's ex-leader Sheikh Hasina will be converted into a museum to commemorate the revolution that led to her removal, according to the country's current caretaker government leader, Muhammad Yunus.

Yunus, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, made this announcement during his tour of the Ganabhaban palace, which used to be the prime minister's official residence. "The museum should preserve memories of her misrule and the people's anger when they removed her from power," Yunus said.

Sheikh Hasina, who ruled for 15 years, was ousted on August 5 following a student-led uprising. She fled to India via helicopter. Her tenure was marked by human rights abuses, including mass detention and extrajudicial killings. A Bangladeshi court has issued an arrest warrant for her.

Prior to Hasina's downfall, over 700 individuals were killed, many in a brutal police crackdown. As she fled, thousands stormed her former residence, which the government described as a "symbol of repression."

The palace, now damaged and marked with graffiti against her regime, will feature a replica of the "House of Mirrors" Aynaghar detention center, which was notorious under her rule. "The Aynaghar should remind visitors of the torture endured by secret prisoners," Yunus added.

The uprising also led to significant unrest, including the looting of a museum at the home of Hasina's father, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, who was Bangladesh's first president.

Construction of the museum is expected to start by December, according to Apurba Jahangir, a press official in Yunus's office. "The museum construction hasn’t begun yet, but it will start soon," Apurba told AFP.

Sheikh Hasina, 77, has not been seen in public since fleeing to India, with her last known location being a military airbase near New Delhi.