Students from major universities across the country brought out rallies and held processions demanding the ban of Awami League this afternoon (21 March).
The protest comes after Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus yesterday (20 March) told the International Crisis Group that the interim government has no plan to ban the AL.
The CA, however, said AL leaders accused of crimes, including murder and crimes against humanity, will be tried in Bangladeshi courts and could be referred to the International Criminal Court.
Later, in a Facebook post yesterday night, National Citizen Party (NCP) leader Hasnat Abdullah alleged that a plan is being hatched by India “to bring back Refined Awami League” last night.
He claimed that he and two others were presented with a plan to rehabilitate the ousted Awami League party during a meeting at the Cantonment on 11 March.
Amid the developments, students from several universities brought out protests last night demanding a ban on the AL.
Later, after the Jumma prayer today (21 March), students and the public, led by leaders of NCP, SAD and other student organisations, from Dhaka University (DU), Jahangirnagar University (JU), Rajshahi University (RU) and Islamic University (IU) held protests in their respective campuses.
DU
At Dhaka University, the Inqilab Manch, a cultural organisation formed by students-public who partook in the July-August uprising, and the Bangladesh Ganatantrik Chhatra Sangsad, a new organisation formed by leaders of the Students Against Discrimination (SAD), brought out protest processions in the afternoon.
The protesters demanded a ban on the AL and justice for the July-August uprising killings.
They also demanded the withdrawal of the statement of Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus where he said the government does not have any plan to ban the AL.
They started the protest procession from the Central Mosque of Dhaka University after Friday prayers. In addition, students will hold a protest procession from Dhaka University’s Halpara at 3 pm with the same demand.
The procession of Inquilab Manch from the Central Mosque passed through the university’s Madhur Canteen, Surja Sen Hall, and VC Square and ended near the Raju Memorial Sculpture. On the other hand, the procession of the Bangladesh Ganatantrik Chhatra Sangsad went towards the Central Mosque via Madhur Canteen, Halpara and the Raju Memorial Sculpture.
The students participating in the programmes chanted various slogans demanding the ban of the Awami League. Along with this, they were seen raising various slogans in protest against the Israeli attack in violation of the ceasefire agreement in Palestine.
They were seen raising slogans like ‘We want the trial of Awami League’, ‘Let’s light a fire together on the Awami League’s chairs, ‘Catch each league, throw them in jail one by one’, ‘Yunus Saheb’s statement should be withdrawn’, ‘We want justice for genocide’, ‘We must ban Awami League immediately’, ‘Break and crush the venomous fangs of Awami League’, ‘The call of martyrs is being given, Awami League should be destroyed’ etc.
Speaking on the occasion, Inqilab Mancha spokesperson Sharif Osman bin Hadi said, “We have to stand against Israel, and India -the Israel of [Southeast] Asia.”
He said, ‘If we want to hold elections with the Awami League, there will be a flood of blood in Bangladesh. I swear by the blood of more than 2,000 martyrs and thousands of injured, we will not let the Awami League rehabilitate as long as we have a single drop of blood in our bodies. Awami League means murderers.’
Hadi said, ‘If we allow the Awami League to hold elections, the Awami League will be in power for two and a half to three years. Then, with the help of India, the Awami League will conspire to seize power. Then, it will again unleash hellish violence in the country.”
Earlier, at 1:30am on Thursday, students held a protest march demanding the withdrawal of the chief advisor’s statement that the govt has no plan to ban AL.
JU
At JU, students brought out protests demanding the ban on the former ruling party, led by ousted premier Sheikh Hasina at around 2:00pm.
They criticised Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus’ yesterday’s comment to the International Crisis Group, where he said that the interim government does not plan to ban the Awami League.
During the protest at JU, students were heard chanting various slogans, including, “No place of AL in our Sonar Bangla’, ‘AL must be banned immediately’, ‘Be careful Hasina’s friends’, ‘General Walker, be careful,” and “Ban Ban, Murderer League”.
In a brief rally, Touhid Mohammad Siam, a student of the International Relations Department and joint member secretary of the NCP, said, “Nothing else is needed to ban the fascist party that has committed multiple genocides in this country. On 5 August, the students of Bangladesh rejected the Awami League by sending Sheikh Hasina away. I want to tell the interim govt, that if you try to bring back the Awami League, you have seen in ’24 how dangerous the students can be.”
Addressing the army, he said, “If you want to follow the prescription of any agency outside Dhaka, we will not leave you alone.”
The student leader also alleged that the army was involved in “shooting students in Muhammadpur on 19 July and 3 August 2024” during the uprising.
“We have not forgotten how Waqar Sahed gave Sheikh Hasina a safe exit on 5 August. We will judge everything. If you create any obstacles in the matter of banning the Awami League, if you intimidate the student leaders, then we will send you on the same path that your relatives have taken. The Awami League cannot be allowed to conduct any more election or political activities in Bengal,” he said.
RU
At RU, a crowd of students and the public brought out a procession demanding the ban of AL and justice for the July uprising massacre after the Jummah prayer.
They brought out a procession from the Zoha Square, which ended at Talaimari after making rounds through the main gate along the Dhaka-Rajshahi highway.
At the end of the rally, speakers at a short rally.
Speaking at the occasion, Salauddin Ammar, former SAD coordinator of Rajshahi University, said, “Awami League will not be allowed to do politics on the grounds of Bangla. If Awami League wants to return here, it will have to return the lives of more than 2,000 martyred brothers, the hands and feet of 22,000 injured and crippled people, the eyes of the blind, and the limbs of the maimed brothers and sisters.”
“The lives of all the people who were killed and disappeared during the fascist Awami League regime in the last 15 years must be returned. Then the people of this country will decide whether the Awami League will do politics in Bangladesh or not,” he added.
He also said, “No one who tries to rehabilitate AL will be spared, be it the army’s cantonment or any big army official, or any friend of the Awami League. We have not forgotten July, if we have to go down like July again, then we will go down on the Awami League issue, regardless of party affiliation.”
IU
At IU, students, led by SAD, have been holding a sit-in programme since early dawn demanding AL’s ban following allegations of AL’s rehabilitations brought by Hasnat Abdullah in a Facebook post last night.
The sit-in programme was started under the leadership of SM Sweet, coordinator of the IU branch of SAD. SAD co-coordinators Nahid Hasan, Tanvir Mondal, Yashirul Kabir, Ismail Rahat, other members of the coordinating council and students were present at the time.
Speaking at the protest programme, one of the protesters said “As a result of the long 36-day-long movement, we have got a new Bangladesh. The first task of the government that came to power through the blood sacrifices of the dead and the cries of the wounded was to prosecute the Awami fascists —but the government did not do so.
“We condemn those who are trying to rehabilitate Awami fascism and say that there can be no ‘inclusive’ election without the Awami League.”
Another student said, “The student-public will not accept any rehabilitation of the Awami League. If such a thing happens, we will mount a tough movement. We have been on the streets, are, and will be—we want the Awami League completely banned and we must do so.”