Amidst the escalating unrest in Bangladesh, former cricket captain Mashrafe Mortaza’s house was reportedly set on fire amid the violence and chaos following Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s resignation and departure on Monday.
Mortaza, who was also a Member of Parliament for the Narail-2 constituency in the Khulna division, was re-elected as an Awami League candidate led by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the general elections earlier this year.
Local media reports indicate that vandals attacked Mortaza’s house, setting it ablaze after the Prime Minister left the country amidst widespread student protests.
The political turmoil in the country has seen the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Nazmul Hasan and other officials supportive of the ousted Awami League government fleeing the country for their safety. According to Cricbuzz, the country’s sports minister, Zahid Ahsan Hasan, has also left.
The BCB has been forced to delay the Bangladesh A team’s departure to Pakistan for an upcoming tour by two days due to the ongoing political unrest.
The team, which includes senior players like Mushfiqur Rahim, Mominul Haque, Shahadat Hossain, and Zakir Hasan, were scheduled to leave on Tuesday, August 6, to play two four-day and three one-day matches against Pakistan Shaheens.
Bangladesh has been in turmoil for the past several weeks due to massive protests against job quotas for descendants of freedom fighters. These protests recently turned violent, leading to a police crackdown that resulted in hundreds of deaths.
The crisis culminated in an ambush at long-serving President Sheikh Hasina’s house, leading to her resignation and subsequent fleeing to India. The country’s army has since taken control.