Bangladesh’s Channel 24 aired footage of crowds rushing into the compound, celebrating and waving at the camera. Some were seen looting furniture and books, while others lounged on beds.

Protesters who stormed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s palace in Dhaka on Monday made off with a variety of items, including sarees, tea cups, TV sets, and paintings. This unrest, which began in July as student-led demonstrations against government hiring policies, culminated in the prime minister fleeing and the military announcing plans to establish an interim government.

The violence, which claimed at least 300 lives over more than a month, brought an end to the rule of the 76-year-old leader. The protests intensified even after the Supreme Court had scaled back the contentious scheme.

Channel 24 in Bangladesh aired footage of the crowds breaching the compound, celebrating on camera, and looting furniture and books, with some protesters lounging on beds. Social media images depicted the jubilant demonstrators going through drawers and personal items, with some enjoying a feast and others carrying large fish. One man was even seen wearing a saree believed to belong to the former prime minister. Additionally, protesters vandalized a statue of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Hasina’s father and a national hero.

The mobs also targeted the homes of Hasina’s close allies, according to witnesses.

Hasina’s 15-year tenure was marked by significant economic development but also by widespread arrests of political opponents and human rights sanctions against her security forces. Despite winning a fifth term in January, her re-election was marred by an opposition boycott, citing concerns over electoral fairness.

Hasina had pledged to transform Bangladesh into a “prosperous and developed country,” yet around 18 million young Bangladeshis remain unemployed, according to government figures.

Bangladesh has a history of military coups, including a notable instance in January 2007 when the military declared an emergency and established a caretaker government amid widespread political unrest.

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