Former Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina’s palace to become museum honoring uprising

The former palace of Bangladesh's ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is set to be transformed into a museum commemorating the revolution that led to her fall from power.

This announcement was made by Nobel laureate and microfinance pioneer Muhammad Yunus, who now serves as the chief advisor in Bangladesh's caretaker government. Yunus toured Ganabhaban, Hasina’s former official residence, stating the museum will capture the people's unrest and the events that ultimately led to her departure.

During her 15-year rule, Sheikh Hasina faced allegations of human rights abuses, including large-scale detentions and extrajudicial killings of opposition figures. Recently, a Bangladeshi court issued a warrant for her arrest, and she fled to India by helicopter on August 5 after mass protests erupted. More than 700 lives were reportedly lost, primarily due to intense police crackdowns, before her departure.

The palace, left damaged and looted by protesters after Hasina fled, is now marked with graffiti denouncing her rule. Planned exhibits will include a replica of the notorious "House of Mirrors" (Aynaghar), a secret detention center allegedly used during her tenure. Visitors will be reminded of the isolation and torture detainees endured there, according to Yunus.

The ouster of Sheikh Hasina was chaotic, leading to looting in various locations, including a museum dedicated to her father, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Bangladesh's first president. Construction for the new museum is scheduled to begin by December, confirmed Apurba Jahangir, a press representative for Yunus.

Sheikh Hasina, last seen at a military base near New Delhi, has remained out of the public eye since her flight from Bangladesh.