A mass gathering began at Dhaka’s Shahbagh intersection on Saturday afternoon as part of a “blockade” programme demanding a political ban on the Awami League.
Activists and leaders from various organisations, including the National Citizen Party (NCP), Islami Chhatra Shibir, and United Peoples Bangladesh (UP Bangladesh), started assembling at the intersection from 3pm. The protest drew participation despite an ongoing heatwave.
Speakers at the rally called for the Awami League to be designated a “terrorist organisation,” demanding its dissolution and trial under the International Crimes Tribunal Act. Protesters chanted slogans such as “League dhor, jail-e bhor” (Catch the Awami League, fill the jails) and “One point, one demand — Awami League must not return.”
Around 3:30pm, senior organisers including NCP’s southern region chief Hasnat Abdullah, northern region’s Sarjis Alam, UP Bangladesh convener Ali Ahsan Junayed, and Chhatra Shibir central leader Sibgatullah took position beneath an advertisement board at Shahbagh.
Addressing the crowd, Sarjis Alam declared, “One microphone, one demand, one programme — no separate sound systems will be allowed.”
The rally followed an overnight sit-in near the Chief Adviser’s residence in Jamuna the previous night. That protest later turned into a procession and rally at Minto Road on Saturday afternoon, joined by leaders from Islamist groups, student fronts, and July uprising platforms.
At around 11pm on Friday, Hasnat Abdullah had announced the Shahbagh blockade, stating: “This movement will continue until the Awami League is banned and the July declaration is issued.”
He also called on district-level activists via Facebook to refrain from blocking highways outside Dhaka, urging instead for decentralised rallies and spontaneous protests.