Protesters flock to ‘gathering point’ near Jamuna to push for Awami League ban

Protesters who gathered in front of the State Guest House Jamuna, the official residence of the chief advisor, have begun to take up positions in front of a temporary stage set up nearby to continue pushing for the banning of the Awami League.

Protesters marched to the fountain on Minto Road near the InterContinental Dhaka hotel around noon in Friday and began taking up positions in front of a temporary stage.

Hasnat Abdullah, chief convener of the NCP south unit, called for a “mass gathering” of people regardless of party or political position at the location. A temporary stage has been set up by pulling a tarpaulin over five trucks parked together.

Hasnat, the chief organiser for the NCP’s southern unit, announced the post-Jummah gathering at 8:30am on Friday from the sit-in protest.

“You have become advisors while standing on blood. If you think, that through trickery the Awami League will be brought back – we are forced to stand in front of Jamuna again today to block that.”

“Today, after Jummah prayers, we will turn the road from in front of the fountain to the Intercontinental and then to Bangla Motor into a sea of people.”

Shafiqul Alam Masud, secretary of the Dhaka Metropolitan South unit of Jamaat, said: “Of course you should quickly implement the demand of the students and the people of Bangladesh to ban the Awami League.”

Calls for the Awami League’s ban were revived by various organisations that took part in the July Uprising on Wednesday night after former president Md Abdul Hamid left the country.

A group of protesters led by Hasnat gathered in front of the residence at 10pm on Thursday. Jamaat-e-Islami, AB Party, Islami Chhatra Shibir, Anti-discrimination Student Movement, and leaders and activists of various student organisations have expressed solidarity with the protest.

Around 1am, a group led by NCP Convenor Nahid Islam and Member Secretary Akhtar Hossain joined the protest.

Once the protest began, police started to restrict traffic at the Kakrail intersection, InterContinental crossing, and Minto Road intersection.

Law enforcers were deployed in front of and behind the barricades at Jamuna.

However, small processions were allowed to enter the area.

The protest continued into Friday, with protesters chanting slogans calling for a ban on the former ruling party.

Ex-president Hamid was accused alongside ouster prime minister Sheikh Hasina in a murder case connected to the July Uprising.

Following his departure from Bangladesh, Sub Inspector Azharul Islam – the investigating officer in the case – was temporarily suspended. Kishoreganj Superintendent of Police Mohammad Hasan Chowdhury was withdrawn.

Tahsina Arif, additional superintendent of police in charge of immigration at the airport during Hamid’s departure, has also been withdrawn. ATSI Md Solaiman has been dismissed.