Controversy over the sprawling structure known as ‘Ganabhavan’ in Dhaka’s Sher Bangla Nagar is an old one.
Among all the heads of government or state of Bangladesh, only former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has lived in Ganobhaban. Besides, no other government or head of state lived there. Although Ganobhaban has been used for various state functions.
After the ouster of Sheikh Hasina and fled to India, many people entered the Ganobhaban and carried out vandalism and looting, which is unprecedented in the history of Bangladesh.
When Sheikh Hasina was in power from 1996 to mid-2001, she started living there with the Ganobhaban allotment. Even after leaving the prime ministership, he wanted to live there.
But Sheikh Hasina was forced to leave Ganobhaban in 2001 in the face of intense political controversy.
The interim government of Professor Yunus has decided to convert the Ganabhaban into a ‘July Memorial Museum’.
A few days before this decision was taken, in a video message from London, BNP Acting Chairperson Tarek Rahman said that Ganobhaban will be converted into a museum, where the memory of those who were injured and killed while protesting against Sheikh Hasina in the month of July-August will be preserved.