One year after the ousting of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, her former official residence, the opulent Ganabhaban palace in Dhaka, is being transformed into a national museum, memorializing what critics call an era of autocratic rule and mass resistance.
The sprawling estate, once a heavily guarded symbol of power, was stormed by thousands of jubilant protesters on August 5, 2024, after Hasina fled to India by helicopter amid a student-led uprising. That moment became iconic, with images of flag-waving crowds dancing in her bedroom and swimming in her private lake flooding global media.
Authorities now hope that preserving the palace, graffiti included, will offer future generations a powerful reminder of democratic struggle. Slogans like “Freedom,” “We want justice,” and “Dictator” remain etched on the walls, left untouched as historical testimony.
The 77-year-old Hasina, accused of overseeing mass human rights abuses including extrajudicial killings and arbitrary detentions, is currently facing charges amounting to crimes against humanity. The United Nations estimates up to 1,400 people were killed in July and August 2024 as she attempted to suppress the protests. Hasina denies the allegations and has defied court summons in Dhaka.
Caretaker leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus, 85, who is steering the country toward elections in early 2026, said the new museum will preserve “the people’s anger and memories of misrule.”
Curator Tanzim Wahab said the museum will feature interactive exhibits, animations, and preserved torture cells. It will also include personal stories, films, and photos of those killed by security forces. “We want young people to use it as a platform for discussing democratic ideas and building a new Bangladesh,” he said.
While Ganabhaban is being preserved as a national symbol of resistance, protesters have dismantled other hallmarks of Hasina’s regime, including statues of her father, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, and the museum she built in his honor. “They were the statues of dictatorship,” said Muhibullah Al Mashnun, a 23-year-old student who helped demolish the structure.
Human Rights Watch has warned that interim governance remains fragile, with challenges posed by an unreformed security sector, extremist factions, and political divisions. But for many, the museum stands as a pivotal step toward reckoning with the past, and imagining a more democratic future.
Written By Rodney Mbua
