Bangladesh Army arrests workers of Sheikh Hasina’s party ahead of Dhaka protest

The Bangladesh Army has arrested hundreds of workers and supporters of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League party in a major crackdown ahead of their planned protest in Dhaka against the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus.

Dhaka has turned into a fortress, with 191 platoons of the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) deployed across the city and other areas ahead of the protest scheduled for 3 pm on Sunday. Authorities have denied permission for the Awami League to hold the demonstration.

In a major show of strength, workers, supporters, and underground leaders are expected to gather in Dhaka’s Gulisthan, Zero Point, and Nur Hossain Square areas, protesting against the alleged false framing of their leaders, the banning of the student wing Chatra League, and the persecution of Awami League workers.

Bangladesh saw a massive crackdown on Sheikh Hasina’s party after she was forced to resign and flee the country on August 5 following violent protests backed by Khaleda Zia’s Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), Jamaat-e-Islami, and other groups.

The BNP and Jamaat have announced that they will not allow any gatherings or protests by the Awami League. Areas like Gulistan, the Awami League headquarters, and other potential protest venues have been occupied by Jamaat-e-Islami and BNP workers to prevent Awami League supporters from assembling.

Rejecting permission for the protest, the Muhammad Yunus administration referred to the Awami League as a “fascist party” and vowed to not tolerate any “attempts to incite violence”.

“The Awami League in its current form is a fascist party. There is no way this fascist party will be allowed to hold protests in Bangladesh. The interim government will not tolerate any violence or any attempt to break the law-and-order situation in the country,” Shafiqul Alam, Yunus’s press secretary, said in a statement on Saturday.

Alam further said that people who would try to hold rallies, gatherings or processions will “face full force of the law-enforcing agencies”. Meanwhile, the Awami league said that their protest is to secure the rights of people in Bangalesh and the rise of fundamentalist forces.

The party said, “Our protest is against taking away the rights of the people of the country; against the rise of fundamentalist forces; against the conspiracy to disrupt the lives of common people. We urge you all to join Awami League leaders and workers to protest against the misrule of this current regime”.

Several political factions have called for a ban on the Awami League. However, Prime Minister Yunus stated that the decision rests with the political parties. Some ministers in the interim government have also opposed the ban, stressing the importance of political inclusivity. The BNP has likewise opposed the banning of any political party.