Dhaka’s Holey Artisan is now busy ‘Oro Bakery’

Nearly 10 years after the July 1, 2016 militant attack on Holey Artisan Bakery in Dhaka’s Gulshan-2, the restaurant is now operating under the name Oro Bakery at a new location and has become one of the capital’s busiest dining spots.

A visit to Oro Bakery at Rangs Orchid Tower beside Gulshan-2 Circle on Tuesday afternoon found the restaurant crowded with customers. Families were dining in, others were collecting takeaway orders, and foreign nationals were also seen among the patrons. The scene gave little indication that the establishment is linked to one of the deadliest militant attacks in Bangladesh’s history.

Restaurant officials said the business remained shut for a long period after the 2016 attack. It later resumed operations as Holey Bakery under a new entrepreneur near Gulshan-2 Circle, but the name was changed within a year to Oro Bakery following a decision by the then government. The business now continues under that name.

Abu Sayeed, who now serves as manager of Oro Bakery and was working at Holey Artisan during the attack, told Ajker Patrika: “I still cannot forget the horror of that day. Everything happened before my eyes. I, too, could have died that day.”

Abu Sayeed said many longtime customers still identify the place as Holey Artisan despite the name change, while the younger generation knows it as Oro Bakery. Many people have forgotten the events of 10 years ago, he said, though some still occasionally ask about that night. He added that customers no longer appear to have any security concerns.

The original Holey Artisan site at House 5, Road 79, Gulshan-2, has also returned to normal life. The building, where the bakery once stood, has been renovated and made suitable for residence. Owner Samira Ahmed and her family now live there.

A visit to the property found a clean residential setting with greenery and signs of normal daily life. A security guard at the adjacent Lake View Clinic said police and diplomatic representatives are expected to visit on Wednesday, 1 July, to mark the anniversary of the attack. Security has therefore been tightened, and members of the public are not allowed to enter the building.

On 1 July 2016, militants carried out an armed attack on Holey Artisan Bakery on Road 79 in Gulshan-2. Twenty people were killed that night, including 17 citizens of Italy, Japan, India and the United States. Two police officers were also killed while taking part in the cleaning operation. The international militant group Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack.

In the case filed over the incident, Dhaka’s Anti-Terrorism Special Tribunal sentenced seven members of neo-JMB to death on 27 November 2019. After hearings on the death references and the convicts’ appeals, the High Court on 10 October 2023 commuted the death sentences to life imprisonment. The case is now pending before the Appellate Division.

Attorney General Md Ruhul Quddus Kajol told Ajker Patrika: “The case is pending before the Appellate Division. We take the necessary initiatives for the speedy disposal of important cases. There will be no shortcoming on our part in this case as well.”