Awami Violent League (Part-2)
Hundreds and thousands of shameful acts have been done by Awami League men so far. Stories of brutality by them are beyond description. This paper has examined some of the most inhumane acts of the party men for a better understanding of its violent nature.
1. The media-boy of Sylhet
He was known for disturbing girls in the Shahjalal University of Science and Technology campus. The mob beat him for disrespecting girls in the locality several times. However, the local highly Awami League sympathiser media sided him and published series of articles claiming the mob-beating victim as a victim of opposition group led attacks.He was made a hero in the national dailies that have a reputation for being critical of opposition parties. The guy is Badrul Alam.
Therefore, in the latest committee declared centrally by Awami League’s student organisation Charta League, he got awarded with a crucial assistant secretary post.
After attaining the post, Badrul considered it as a shot in his arm and went desperate to marry a girl from his locality by force, even though the girl refused her times and again. The option he had chosen to seek revenge of the refusal was chopping the girl to death with a machete in broad daylight. On October 3, he took the courage to make it done, and he hacked the girl numerous times with a machete.
Badrul Alam, a student of Shahjalal University of Science and Technology, joined Awami League backed Bangladesh Chhatra League in 2009 while he used to reside at Khadija’s house for rent near the campus as a lodger and stayed there until 2011.
In that year, he was driven out of the house by her parents for stalking the teenage girl repeatedly.
Badrul continued to convince Khadiza Akhter Nargis to marry him, but was refused; and on Monday, he hacked her with a machete near Sylhet MC College campus as she ignored his offer.
This is not the first time Badrul attempted to kill Khadiza.
He used to wait outside Shafir Uddin School and College for HSC student Khadiza in 2011, which prompted her to stop attending her classes. At that time, Badrul threatened her with knives several times, locals say.
In 2012, he was severely beaten up by the locals for stalking the girl in front of her college. Badrul took his party as his shield and propagated that he was beaten not by the mob rather by Jamaat backed Shibir men. Local media and national dailies circulated the news like hotcakes without any cross-check of the claim.
Badrul’s classmates and locals say he was eager to marry Khadija as she was the only daughter among four children of a Saudi expatriate and he thought that marrying her would make him rich.
Because of his engagement in student politics, poverty and unsuccessful efforts to marry Khadija, Badrul was irregular in his honours classes. Keeping it incomplete, he took admission in Masters and completed it in 2013.
The media boy turned into a killer like his other fellows and did his job on October 3 this year.
2. Dream meets death
Abu Bakar was right on track on the road to his dream. Many days he did not see his mother. Many nights he spent without visiting home where his mother passed every moment with her mind swinging between pains and hopes that her son would realise his dream one day.
Abu Bakar Siddique, a third-year student of Islamic history and culture at Dhaka University, also wanted to make his mother proud. He wanted to be a faculty member of the University. In an unspoken deal, both he and his mother bore the unbearable pain of separation waiting for the day when their dream would come true, and they start living happily ever after.
However, his life was cut short on the first day of February 2010 in his own room when he was preparing for his examination.
He was killed in an internal clash between two factions of Awami League’s crooked student front Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) Sir F Rahman Hall unit. Though police arrested eight pro-Awami League students in connection with the case filed by a student, however, they were later released.
3. Sensational Narayanganj Seven Murder
Narayanganj Seven Murder is the primarily enforced disappearance and eventually the gruesome killing of seven people including a panel-mayor of Narayanganj City Corporation and a lawyer in the April of 2014. The sensational murders took place due to the rivalry of two local Awami League leaders backed by two central leaders of the same party.
These killings took much of the space in the national dailies of Bangladesh not only because of the number of death but also due to the involvement of a number of personnel from Bangladesh’s elite law-enforcement agency Rapid Action Battalion and a brother-in-law of a cabinet minister from Awami League.
Nazrul Islam, a panel mayor of Narayanganj City Corporation who was in good terms with Mayor Selina Hayat Ivy, with three associates and his driver went missing from Fatullah area of Narayanganj on April 27 of 2014. His lawyer Chandan Kumar Sarker who was following the car of Nazrul Islam also went missing on the same day with his driver from the same place. Within one week of the event, the dead bodies of the victims were seen floating on the Shitalakshya River on which the Narayanganj District stands on.
The names of the victims are
1. Nazrul Islam, Councilor, Narayanganj City Corporation
2. Chandan Kumar Sarker, Lawyer, Narayanganj District Court
3. Moniruzzaman Swapan, Activist, Narayanganj Jubo League
4. Tajul Islam, President, Siddhirganj unit of Sheikh Russell Jatiya Shishu Kishore Parishad
5. Liton, Activist, Narayanganj Awami League
6. Jahangir Alam, Driver, Nazrul Islam’s car
7. Ibrahim, Driver, Chandan Kumar Sarkar’s car
This generated a sizeable hue and cry all across the country. Stories of the forced abduction of the seven men started covering the front pages of the newspapers. Narayanganj was plagued with street protests.
Two cases were filed in connection with the murders. Nazrul’s wife Selina Islam Beauty filed a case against six people, including Siddhirganj Awami League President Nur Hossain, while Chandan’s son-in-law Bijoy Kumar Paul filed the other case against some unknown people.
Nazrul’s father-in-law Shahidul Islam alleged that RAB personnel led by Lieutenant Colonel Tareque Saeed who is the son-in-law of Relief Minister Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury abducted and killed Nazrul in exchange for Tk 6 crore from local ward councillor Nur Hossain.
4. Burnt alive at day-light!
The Fulgazi Upazila chairman of Feni was shot and burnt to death in his car by miscreants in the district town on May 20, 2014. Ekramul Haque, 45, was also the president of Awami League Upazila unit.Three of his associates and driver received burn injuries when the criminals set Ekramul’s car on fire near Bilashi cinema hall in Academy area around 10:50 am.
Armed miscreants coming on an easy-bike intercepted the car, sprayed bullets and exploded handmade bombs targeting the vehicle. Later, they poured petrol and set the car afire.
Ekramul’s associates –Moin Uddin Shambhu, 60, former chairman of Fulgazi Sadar union Parishad; and Farhad, 32, editor of a local weekly magazine Feni Samachar; and AL Abul Hossain, 45, — and the driver of the car Abdullah Al Mamun, 30, managed to get down from the burning car. But Ekramul could not move as a bullet hit him in his chest.
Five days into the murder, Feni police arrested Jihad Chowdhury, the prime suspect in the gruesome murder of Phulgazi Upazila chairman Ekramul Haq.Jihad, also known as Jahid, is the joint general secretary of Phulgazi Awami League and a close aide to Feni-2 AL lawmaker Nizam Hazari.
5. Politics of gunfire
In 2012, freedom fighter Faruk, the then publicity secretary of Tangail district Awami League unit, decided to contest for the post of Tangail Awami League general secretary in the Tangail district council of Awami League.
Awami League lawmaker Amanur Rahman Khan Rana and his three brothers were against it as his brother Shahidur was making preparations to run for the same post. Amanur tried to persuade Faruk to quit the race but failed.
Amanur is Awami League lawmaker from Tangail-3. His three brothers are Shahidur Rahman Khan Mukti, former mayor of Tangail municipality, Jahidur Rahman Khan Kakon, former president of Tangail Chamber of Commerce, and Saniyat Khan Bappa, former vice president of Bangladesh Chhatra League.
All the four were involved in the killing of Tangail AL leader and freedom fighter Faruk Ahmed which came to light when Police grilled one of the suspects, Anisur Rahman Raja who is a bodyguard of Shahidur.
Amanur’s close aides Kabir Hossain, Samir and Farid Ahmed, his brothers’ bodyguards Anisur Rahman Raja and Mohammad Ali, security guard Babu, Jubo League leader Alamgir Hossain, Nasir Uddin, Sanowar Hossain and ex-municipality commissioner Masudur Rahman, are the accomplices to carry out the killing.
6. Cleansing the popular mayor
Mayor of Narsingdi municipality Lokman Hossain succumbed to his wounds at DMCH around 10:30 pm on November 1, 2011, about three hours after an unidentified assailant shot him at the town Awami League office on Sadar Road.
Forty-three-year-old Lokman was the general secretary of the city unit Awami League.
A masked miscreant opened fire on Lokman in a room of the AL office around 7:30 pm while he was talking to party men, Sudipto Saha, a contractor of the municipality, told newsmen at the Dhaka Medical College Hospital. Sudipto was in the room when the attack was carried out.
As the others in the room dispersed, the assailant got closer to the mayor and fired again, he added.
The attacker managed to flee the scene soon after the incident.
The brother of murdered Narsinghdi mayor Lokman Hossain filed a case against the brother of the then telecommunications minister and 13 others, 48 hours after the killing. Lokman’s younger brother Kamruzzaman had filed the case against 14 including Telecom Minister Rajiuddin Ahmed Raju’s younger brother Salahuddin Ahmed Bachchu.
7. Brutality unbound
An ardent fan of cricket, Bishwajit Das watched the Bangladesh-West Indies match at a shop next to his tailoring house on December 8. To celebrate the Bangladesh win, he then partied with his friends at his store late that night. Little did he know it would be his last celebration.
On December 9 of 2012, the 24-year-old was killed in an attack by a group of Bangladesh Chhatra League activists, who took him for a pro-blockade activist, witnesses said.
A group of 10-12, swooped on him near Bahadur Shah Park in Old Dhaka around 8:30 am on his way to work. They beat him with sticks and iron rods and hacked him with sharp weapons. Bishwajit died after he was taken to Mitford Hospital for treatment.
According to dozens of eyewitnesses, the attackers are Bangladesh Chhatra League activists of Jagannath University (JnU).
It all began around 8:30 am when a group of pro-opposition lawyers brought out a procession, were marching towards Bahadur Shah Park in support of the opposition-called blockade.
A group of BCL activists of JnU attacked the procession and beat up some lawyers, witnesses said. In a few minutes, a sound of an explosion was heard nearby, and the BCL men started chasing pedestrians.
Bishwajit, who was also among the pedestrians, ran for life and got into a nearby building.
Meanwhile pro-Awami League cadres, Rafiqul Islam Shakil, Mahfuzur Rahman alias Nahid, Emdadul Haque alias Emdad, GM Rasheduzzaman alias Shaon, Md Shaiful Islam and Kayyum Mia alias Tipu. Rajan Talukdar and Mir Mohammad Noor-e-Alam alias Limon went to the building and caught Bishwajit at his collar, dragged him out and hacked him numerous times with sharp weapons, knives and machete.
8. Sliced into pieces, dumped into river
Advocate Nurul Islam was the Organizing Secretary of Bangladesh Nationalist Party in Laxmipur district. Apart from a BNP leader, he was a son of a mother, the husband to a woman, and a father to his children.
His entire fault was he raised voice against the reign of terror of the local Awami League leader Abu Taher who was infamous for his brutality gaining the name as a godfather and his spoilt son AHM Biplob.
Nurul Islam, an advocate in profession, raised voice and was fighting cases against the injustice in Laxmipur.
Advocate Nurul Islam was picked up on September 18 of 2000 by AHM Biplob and his gang that included Lavu, Jiku, Rinku and Shipon from Majurpur.
They took Nurul Islam to the house of Awami League leader Abu Taher. Taher’s wife assaulted the BNP leader and instructed their sons AHM Biplob and Salauddin alias Tipu to kill him after she received a phone call from her husband.
Nurul Islam had pleaded for his life; he had even promised to leave Laxmipur.
But the killers did not stop. Nurul was instantly roped, dragged into a bathroom and nailed down before he was hacked to death.
9. Paltan murder
At the end of BNP-Jamaat-led alliance government’s tenure (2001-2006), the 13th Amendment to the Bangladesh Constitution required the president to offer the position of the Chief Adviser to the immediate past Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, who was to be Justice KM Hasan, soon after the tenure of the government expires on October 28, 2006.
Sheikh Hasina, the President of Awami League, called her party activists to march to Dhaka with oars and sticks to take control of the streets of the capital to prevent the oath of Justice KM Hasan as the Chief Advisor. From a rally held on 18th September 2006 at the Paltan ground in the capital Dhaka, Sheikh Hasina instructed her party activists, saying:
“You [the people] be ready and come to Dhaka from villages, Upazilas and districts with oars, rowing poles and with whatever you have when I will call you.”
Following her call, her party activists gathered in the city sparking the violence of October 28. The activists of the then opposition alliance led by Awami League took to the streets, started setting a fire in the markets, set vehicles ablaze and clashed with the BNP and Jamaat activists, and even with the law enforcers. Hundreds of Awami League activists carrying bamboo poles and oars paraded most city roads.
The most violent incident took place at the Paltan intersection of the capital. Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami arranged a pre-declared program at 3.00pm at Baitul Mukarram North Gate in the capital to observe the day of power handover of the government. Bangladesh Awami League organised Another political meeting at Paltan ground which was quite far from the Jamaat’s venue. At 11.00 am suddenly a procession started to throw bricks upon the activists of BJI and the students’ organisation Bangladesh Islami Chatra Shibir.
A rally led by AL leaders Hazi Selim and Dr Iqbal, both are infamous for their godfather background, that was passing by the Jamaat gathering, suddenly attacked the Jamaat meeting and started throwing bricks and sticks at the Jamaat workers. Even a number of big bombs were hurled by the Awami League men close to the stage as Jamaat Chief Matiur Rahman Nizami was at the tail end of his speech.
Awami League activists used handmade bombs, arms, logs, oars and sticks in their indiscriminate attack on Jamaat. Due to this sudden attack, along with Jamat leaders Nurul Islam Bulbul, Josim Uddin, Mujahid and other activists were severely wounded and 5 of them died instantly. AL activists and cadres beat to death Jamaat activists with oars and sticks they were carrying.
Electronic media showed how inhumanly the Awami League men killed Shibir activist Mujahid by beating with sticks and oars.
The victims of the massacre are
i. Hossain Mohammad Mujahidul Islam
ii. Golam Kibria Shipon
iii. Saifullah M. Masum
iv. Md. Josim Uddin
v. Md. Habibur Rahman
vi. Abdullah Al Foysal
10. Will you ever come to march?
Awami League men on December 28, 2013, barged into the Supreme Court premises to prevent pro-BNP lawyers from agitating against the government with the law enforcers playing the role of silent spectators.
For the first time, the countrymen had seen an incident like that on the premises of the apex court when stick-wielding Awami League forced open the main gate of the court around 3:20 pm to chase the demonstrating lawyers.
Earlier, around 11:30 am police used water cannon on the protesting pro-BNP lawyers when they tried to march to Naya Paltan. As over two hundred lawyers of pro-BNP tried to bring out a procession, the law enforcers locked the main gate of the Supreme Court.
Law enforcers with water cannon and an armoured vehicle were stationed outside. They lobbed two sound grenades to disperse the lawyers. The pro-BNP lawyers then left the main gate and went to the gate next to the bar counsel building. As they found the gate locked too, they split into two groups and took positions at the two gates.
After 3 pm Awami League men stormed into the Supreme Court premises. They torched a motorcycle in front of the Supreme Court Bar Association.
The AL supporters hurled brick chips at them. Awami League cadres beat advocate Simki Imam Khan brutally. At one stage she kept lying motionless on the pavement with her dressed soaked in blood. Some photojournalists came to her rescue.
Another lawyer, loyal to the 18-party alliance, Rehana Parvin was also beaten.
The ruling party goons also hit some lawyers and tweaked their ears asking them repeatedly: “Will you ever come to the March? Will you?”
Recent Cases
Case 01
A local leader of Awami League was stabbed dead by the supporters of rebel candidate of the ruling party in Gazaria Upazila of Munshiganj.
Victim Shamsuddin Pradhan, 65, was the chairman of Baluakandi Union Parishad and also the president of AL Union Parishad unit. Pradhan was backing Amirul Islam, an Awami League-blessed chairman candidate.
Case 02
A Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) activist, injured in clashes between supporters of two chairman aspirants at Sreepur, died in a Dhaka hospital.
The dead were Kabir Hossain, 30, son of Sakhawat Ullah from the Upazila and a local ward president of Jubo League, the youth front of ruling Awami League.
Case 04
Two people were killed, and 20 were injured in an internal clash of the ruling Awami League at Machhpara village of Sadar Upazila in Kushtia September 24, 2016.
Local people and Jhaudia police camp in-charge Dilip Kumar said that two groups of AL activists led by incumbent Jhaudia union chairman Keramat Ali, also Upazila AL joint secretary, and former chairman Bakhtiar Hossain, also union AL president who lost the latest election to Keramat, had long been at loggerheads over establishing supremacy in the area.
As a sequel to the previous enmity, activists of both the groups were locked in an altercation in the area at about 6:00 am.
At one stage, both the groups clashed with firearms and local weapons, they said.
Case 05
Anand Kumar Ghosh, a local leader of the Bangladesh Awami League, was killed, and nine leaders and activists were injured in a factional clash of the ruling party at Kaliganj Upazila in Jhenaidah on January 07, 2015.
The extended meeting of the BAL Upazila unit was foiled because of the clash, while the agitated activists vandalised a microbus, 11 motorcycles, and many chair and tables.
The deceased Anand Kumar Ghosh was president of the Kola union AL unit.
Case 08
A man was killed and ten others injured in a clash between two groups of Awami League in Digha union of Mohammadpur Upazila on Thursday night over establishing supremacy.
The deceased was identified as Akbar Hossain, 65, a resident of the union.
Case 09
At least three people were killed and more than 50 others injured during a clash between two factions of Awami League (AL) in Bagmara Upazila of Rajshahi on May 6, 2016.
The clash was erupted centring ongoing Union Parishad polls in the area.
The dead were identified as Md Siddiqur Rahman, 28; Md Bulu, 38 and Md Momtaj Ali, 35 of Saranji Vashupur village under the Upazila.
The Rajshahi Range DIG, Khurshid Alam, has confirmed the dead and injured to Samakal.
Case 10
Khaled Saifullah, a student of the Marketing Department and organising secretary of the Kabi Nazrul Hall unit of BCL, was killed and five others were injured in the clash on the campus on 01 August morning.
Mujibur Rahman, the registrar of the university, said the conflict ensued between the followers of University unit BCL president Alif and another BCL leader Ilias Sabuj centring lighting candles in front of the portrait of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on the campus marking the Month of Mourning.
During the fight, the two sides exchanged gunshots leaving Khaled, a follower of Sabuj group, injured with bullets. Khaled was taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) where doctors declared him dead.
Of the injured, district unit BCL’s joint secretary Nahida Islam Onu, organising secretaries Sheikh Mohammad Yasin and Shafikul Islam Babu, student affairs secretary Lamia Sultana Putul, library affairs secretary Sajib Hossain, and activist Monirul Islam were admitted to Manikganj Sadar Hospital.
The victims are Mahmudul Hasan Milton, 26, a master’s final-year student, and Md Zakaria, 22, a BBA second-year student of the University.
The two were activists of the University BCL unit, said Asaduzzaman Jeni, assistant secretary of the unit.
They were stabbed during a clash that ensued after participants of a cultural programme marking Pahela Baishakh were attacked by a BCL faction around 8:00 pm, witnesses said.
Locals at Jhaidia Village said the clash erupted early in the morning.
Assistant Superintendent of Police Nure Alam Siddique told bdnews24.com that two persons have died in the clash. He said those injured had been taken to different hospitals, including the state-run one in the district town. The identity of the victims is not yet known.
The extended meeting of the AL Upazila unit was foiled because of the clash, while the agitated activists vandalised a microbus, 11 motorcycles, and many chair and tables.
The deceased Anand Kumar Ghosh was president of the Kola union AL unit.
Witnesses and the party sources said some hostile AL activists attacked the venue of the extended meeting presided over by Upazila AL president Abdul Mannan in the local municipality auditorium around 4:30 pm.
Former general secretary of the AL Upazila unit, Israel Hossain, Kola union AL president, Anand Kumar Ghosh, municipality councillor Rezaul Islam and Swechchhasebak League activist Hasanuzzaman sustained severe hacking injuries. Critically injured Anand was admitted to Jessore Medical College Hospital where he died later.
Case 15
Unidentified miscreants hacked to death a union-level Juba League activist of Baryeardala Union Parishad under Sitakunda Upazila of Chittagong around 8 pm on Tuesday while he was returning home after participating an election campaign for UP chairman candidate Raihan Uddin.
The victim was identified as Riaz Uddin Nayan, 27, a member of Baryeardala union Juba League.
Police and local sources said some 20-25 miscreants attacked Riaz Uddin and hacked him indiscriminately while he was returning after conducting the election campaign for Awami League nominated chairman candidate for the Baryeardala Union Parishad, Raihan Uddin, around 8 pm in front of Mollar Market. The local people whisked Raihan off to Chittagong Medical College Hospital (CMCH) around 10 pm on Tuesday, where the on-duty doctors declared him dead, said Pankaj Barua, Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) of Police of the CMCH police outpost.
“There has been a long-standing rivalry between Islam group and Harun group over establishing supremacy in the area. They engaged in clashes many times. We are suspecting that Raihan might have been killed in an attack by his rivals,” said Iftekhar Hasan, officer-in-charge (OC) of Sitakunda Police Station. Riaz Uddin was known as a follower of the Islam group.
The deceased has been identified as Abu Khan, 52, son of late Shukai Khan from Showair area of Singra Upazila, according to the police. Abu Khan campaigned for rebel Awami League candidate Zahidul Islam for March 19 Upazila poll in the area, Kaliganj police camp Sub Inspector Osman Gani said.
This is what incited a rivalry between his group and that of Rabiul, an activist for the Awami League-endorsed candidate Shafiqul Islam Shafiq, he added.
After they both had lost to the BNP candidate, Rabiul’s group occupied a 65-bigha land previously under the possession of Abu, what triggered a clash on March 29, 2014.
Case 17
A man was killed, and four others were injured in a factional clash of the ruling Awami League in Mathbaria Upazila town yesterday. The dead, Liton Pandit, 30, was a Jubo League activist.
Locals said some supporters of Mathbaria Upazila Parishad Chairman Ashrafur Rahman beat up Nazmul Ahsan alias Tuku, 50 in the morning. Nazmul is a follower of Rafiuddin Ahmed Ferdous, Mathbaria municipality mayor and also the Upazila unit AL president. After the incident, supporters of Ferdous hacked Ashraful’s man Al Amin.
Around 5:10 pm, the two groups, equipped with sharp weapons, attacked each other. They also exchanged bullets. At one stage, Liton was hit by bullets. Four people of both the groups were also wounded during the clash. Liton, who was a supporter of Ashrafur, was rushed to Mathbaria Upazila Health Complex where doctors declared him dead.
Witnesses said around 1:00 am, some criminals, led by local BCL leader Jahangir Alam, swooped on Shahin when he along with his friends was returning from a handloom and textile fair held at Ukhia High School.
The two groups then were locked in a clash, they said, adding that at one stage, Jahangir stabbed Shahin with a sharp weapon and fled the scene.
Critically injured Shahin was rushed to Ukhia Upazila Health Complex. Doctors referred him to Cox’s Bazar Sadar Hospital. Shahin died on the way to the hospital.
Syed Mohammad Noman, president of Ukhia Upazila Chhatra League, said Shahin was an active BCL activist. Jahangir is a former joint convener of Ukhia Degree College unit BCL, pro-Awami League student body.
Culture of Impunity
The culture of setting the killers free and not bringing them to book has let the crime go beyond the control. As many as 26 death row convicts have been granted presidential pardon during the tenure of the Awami League-led Grand Alliance government.
Moreover, since January 2009, the penalties of as many as 29 convicts had been waived. Three among them had been sentenced to varying terms.
In September 2000, the BNP’s Lakshmipur district unit Organising Secretary Nurul Islam was hacked to pieces before those were dumped into the Meghna. A judicial court had sentenced AHM Biplob, son of Awami League leader Abu Taher, to death for the gruesome murder.
During the tenure of the Awami League-led Grand Alliance, President Zillur Rahman granted pardon to 20 death row inmates convicted of the assassination of the Jubo Dal leader, Sabbir Ahmed Gama.
Another 11 men accused of an opposition leader’s murder was given a grand reception after they were released on bail. Suspects of Sanaullah Nur Babu’s murder were released from Natore Jail after a High Court order on Mar 6, 2011, granted them bail.
The accused are Russel Hosain alias ‘Rappu’, Mohammad Rezaul Karim alias Rikon, 25; Hashem Mridha, 34; Gautam Ghosh, 22; Abdul Khaleque, 28; ‘Habib’, 24′ Bablu Molla, 24, Babu Molla, 25, Badsha Mandal, Ashraful Islam and Lutfar Rahman.
Local Awami League leaders received them with garlands at the jail gate around 7 pm and later took them on a motorcade for a reception where they issued a 72-hour ultimatum to the witnesses.
This is how, in Bangladesh, the Awami League men are enjoying an undeclared indemnity, therefore an immunity from any kind of law.
Conclusion
This paper has examined the history of violence in Bangladesh and sorted out the number of cases that involve Awami League.
A clear and concise conclusion that can be drawn after the analysis is that the ruling Awami League (AL) and its front organisations are now plagued by rising disputes and conflicts within the party over establishing supremacy.
Analysis of the events says in the absence of actual opposition party in the country, the ruling party’s leaders and activists are busy pursuing personal gains, a competition which leads to increasing intra-party conflicts.
The factional feuds have been reflected in hundreds of clashes by rival groups and injuries and killing of ruling party men. This is to acknowledge that it is usual in the third world country like Bangladesh that there would be differences among the party men over personal interests. However, it has reached an “excessively high level” in the ruling Awami League.
An Analysis by Ain O Salish Kendra (ASK) reveals a gloomy picture of the ruling party’s internal conflicts. According to ASK, at least 172 workers of AL, Juba League and Chhatra League were killed in intra-party conflicts in six years from 2009 to 2014. Seventy-four more were killed either by political rivals or by extremists.
The figures of injured party men and incidents of the clash are much higher — more than 13,691 workers were wounded in the six years in as many as 1,111 clashes.
About 25 AL leaders and activists were killed after the 5 January 2014 elections.
According to different organisations, at least 30 incidents of internal clashes took during the holding of the AL’s district-level council sessions.
Especially the student wing of the party has gone to the extent that it deserves to be declared as a violent militant group.
The International Crisis Group, observing Bangladesh’s current state commented that,
“As the Awami League (AL) government’s political rivalry with the Bangladesh National Party (BNP) reaches new heights, so has its repression. At the same time, a deeply politicised, dysfunctional criminal justice system is undermining rather than buttressing the rule of law. Heavy-handed measures are denting the government’s legitimacy and, by provoking violent counter-responses, benefitting violent party wings and extremist groups alike.”
