Dhaka: Dozens of activists of deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s now-disbanded Awami League party were arrested overnight as they staged sporadic street marches to mark the party’s 77th founding anniversary in defiance of a nationwide security ban, authorities said Tuesday.
Founded June 23, 1949, when present-day Bangladesh was East Pakistan, the Awami League is the country’s oldest political party and led the nation’s 1971 Liberation War.
The party was disbanded by the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government after Hasina’s government was toppled August 5, 2024, following a violent student-led street protest dubbed the July Uprising. The move was later endorsed by Parliament under the government led by Prime Minister Tarique Rahman.
Through its social media platforms, the Awami League urged supporters to hold digital discussions, hoist party flags, organise processions and conduct poster campaigns to mark the anniversary.
A police headquarters spokesman said 26 activists of the “banned party” were arrested in Dhaka alone, while several others were detained in other places in the country for staging processions or attempting to defy the ban amid heightened security.
“We have foiled their plan so far, and I hope that within the remaining time, they will not be able to bring out a procession, hold a rally or gather anywhere,” Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Commissioner Mosleh Uddin Ahmed told a media briefing.
The DMP, later in a statement, said that legal proceedings against those arrested were underway and operations would continue to maintain public safety and law and order in the capital.
Despite the restrictions, Awami League social media platforms uploaded video clips showing party leaders and activists holding street marches, carrying party flags and banners and chanting slogans.
On the eve of the anniversary, Hasina, in a social media post, said, “We were not born to be defeated.”
Hasina has been staying in India since her ouster in 2024. She was sentenced to death in absentia by Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal over charges linked to attempts to suppress the student-led agitation.
“We are returning with people’s support with 10 times more strength,” the Awami League said in a social media post.
Bangladesh’s mainstream media and online news platforms are barred from publishing or broadcasting Hasina’s statements or activities of the Awami League.
However, in commentaries published by regional media outlets, Hasina has accused successive governments of using the judiciary as a political weapon, facilitating “mob terror”, and creating a “farcical” electoral environment.
In Barishal district, Awami League activists reportedly staged unauthorised flash processions, prompting authorities to deploy extra police in riot gear.
Media reports said troops have also been deployed in Gopalganj, a traditional Awami League stronghold and the site in which five protesters were killed in 2024 in police action during a march organised by leaders of the July Uprising, who later formed the youth-led National Citizen Party (NCP).
Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed Monday said the Awami League no longer existed as an organisation.
“There is no organisation by the name of Awami League,” he told reporters when asked about the party’s founding anniversary.
The government, on the same day, deployed the army and paramilitary Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) personnel in aid of civil administration as tensions mounted over the anniversary celebrations and reported deaths of two Awami League activists.
A Home Ministry spokesman said military and BGB personnel were deployed in Dhaka and five other districts, including southwestern Gopalganj, Hasina’s hometown, until June 30.
The redeployment came a week after troops were formally withdrawn to barracks following nearly two years of law-enforcement duties after Hasina’s government was toppled in the student-led uprising.
Authorities had earlier issued a nationwide security alert, citing intelligence inputs that Awami League supporters could attempt to create unrest around the June 23 anniversary.
Tensions mounted after the deaths of the two Awami League activists, one in police custody in Faridpur June 20 and another succumbing to his wounds following a police chase in Barishal June 21.
The incidents triggered local protests, including a brief blockade of a key highway linking Dhaka with the southwestern city of Khulna.
Meanwhile, in a rare development, senior leaders of the ruling Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) in Faridpur joined the funeral prayers of one of the deceased activists and criticised his custodial death. Authorities simultaneously deployed troops to prevent any escalation.
