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Popular Bangladeshi folk singer Rahul Ananda's residence in Dhaka, a cultural hub, was vandalised, looted and burnt as attacks on Hindu minorities continued amid violent student protests in the country. The singer, who is also a cultural activist, along with his wife and teenage son fled the attack, The Daily Star reported.
The frontman of popular folk bank 'Joler Gaan', Rahul Ananda's residence was flocked by the music fraternity for various events throughout the year. The 140-year-old house was one of the stops on French President Emmanuel Macron's Bangladesh itinerary when he visited Dhaka in September 2023.
One of the founding members of 'Joler Gaan', Saiful Ismal Jarnal, told The Daily Star that Rahul Ananda and his family were shaken and took refuge in a secret place. The iconic house was a rental and did not belong to the folk musician, Jarnal added.
The folk musician owned a mammoth collection of more than 3,000 musical instruments, which he designed and made over the years, The Daily Star reported.
The attackers barged inside the house by breaking the main gate, and then began ransacking the place, taking whatever they could get their hands on. Then, they set the whole house on fire, along with Rahul Ananda's musical instruments, The Daily Star reported, citing a close family source.
Attacks against Hindu minorities have increased since Sheikh Hasina resigned as the Prime Minister of Bangladesh and fled the violence-hit country. She is currently hiding in a secret location in India after landing at the Hindon airbase near New Delhi on Monday.
Joler Gaan posted a song on their official Facebook page, which called for "love, peace and solidarity". A long caption in Bengali stated that it was the last song recorded in the house, which was the melting pot of many creative personalities as well as acted as the recording studio of the band.
"This song was the last recorded song in this room. What you see in the video, none of that exists today. Amid the unrest, music united us. This song is our parting gift to everyone," an excerpt from the caption, translated from Bengali, read.
Protests in Bangladesh escalated in recent weeks, with students protesting over job quotas, calling for Sheikh Hasina's resignation. Houses of Hindus and their businesses have been torched. Besides, two Hindu councillors have been killed in the unrest.
External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has expressed concern, and said that India is closely monitoring the attacks on minorities in Bangladesh.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh Jamat-E-Islami accepted that attacks were happening on religious places of minorities. The party has called for restraint, saying that a "sane person" should not do such acts. It added that everyone who was born in Bangladesh, irrespective of their religion or caste, is a citizen of the country, and deserves equal rights.
