The ongoing protest demanding a ban on the Awami League has intensified and shifted its epicenter from in front of the Chief Adviser’s official residence at Jamuna to the busy Shahbagh intersection in Dhaka. What began as a surprise demonstration Thursday night has now morphed into a countrywide movement.
On Friday afternoon, members of the National Citizen Party (NCP) held a rally in front of Intercontinental Hotel near Shahbagh, continuing their sit-in that had started the night before in front of Jamuna. At approximately 4:30pm, protestors marched from Minto Road to Shahbagh, where they staged a road blockade and continued their demonstration well into the night.
Earlier in the day, NCP’s southern regional coordinator Hasnat Abdullah issued a statement on Facebook, calling for the blockade of Shahbagh to press home their demand.
“Our calls have not reached the ears of the interim government. That’s why we are moving from the rally site to Shahbagh,” he wrote. “We will remain there until our demands are met. The Awami League is not a legitimate political party. In 1974, they abolished democracy and established a mafia-style system through BAKSAL,” he said.
He further alleged that the Awami League’s plundering led to a famine that killed 1.5 million people, and accused the party of being complicit in the killing of patriotic military officers with support from India.
Earlier in the day, NCP leaders began the protest in front of the Intercontinental Hotel with a Qur’an recitation led by Ashraf Mahadi. Amid sweltering heat, the Dhaka North City Corporation deployed spray cannons to cool the protest area.
Meanwhile, similar protests erupted in Rampura, and around 9:30pm, student activists blocked the Dhaka-Aricha highway, echoing the same demand for a complete ban on the Awami League.