United News of Bangladesh

Activists of the Awami League (AL) staged a surprise procession in Khulna city on Sunday morning, the first such demonstration in the city since the party’s fall from power on August 5 last year. The procession began around 7:30am at Zero Point, under the jurisdiction of Horintana Police Station in Khulna Metropolitan Police. A video of the event, showing over 100 participants, quickly went viral on social media platforms. The procession was organised under the banner of the “Bangladesh Awami League, Khulna District Unit.” Senior leaders of the district unit declined to officially comment on the matter. Speaking on condition of anonymity, a leader from Dumuria upazila AL said, “We were instructed not to involve any well-known faces in the procession. That’s why we mobilised relatively unfamiliar leaders and activists from upazila and union levels.” Khairul Bashar, officer-in-charge of Horintana Police Station, said the AL supporters abruptly got off a vehicle and staged a brief procession before dispersing. “As it happened early in the morning, the roads were relatively empty,” the OC said, adding that police were working to identify and detain those involved.

BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi on Tuesday alleged that  the "defeated force" influenced The New York Times to publish a report by providing "false" information about Bangladesh. "The allies of fascism own thousands of crores of  illegal money. They are trying to stigmatize Bangladesh by using their illicit money," Rizvi said while talking to the media at the party's Nayapaltan central office in the city. The BNP leader claimed that extremism has not risen in Bangladesh, rather fascism has been curbed. He said people are freely practicing their religion and expressing their views. “They celebrated the Eid (festival) without fear, unlike in the past under Sheikh Hasina's rule. In the past, no one could celebrate Eid with comfort,” he said. Rizvi accused the ruling Awami League of spreading misinformation globally. Sheikh Hasina staged the so-called anti-militancy operations as a political strategy to cling to power, which was even mentioned  in the book of a former IGP, he said. Paints a troubling and one-sided view of Bangladesh, says CA's press secretary about NYT article on Islamic hard-liners “Awami League is not sitting idle, rather spending black money to tarnish the image of Bangladesh…. Awami League is doing subversive activities,” he said. Referring to the killings during the 2024 July mass uprising, the BNP leader said there is no sign of remorse in Sheikh Hasina's statements regarding the way Mugdhah Faiyazs were shot dead on her order. “Rather, Awami League leaders who have fled abroad are trying to destabilise the country,” he said. He said Awami League's allies are everwhere in the administration. He also criticised the certain advisers of the interim government saying that some advisers are conspiring against BNP. “An advisor had conspired against BNP in 2007 as well. He is doing it this time too,” he said. The BNP leader said a farmer committed suicide in Meherpur after failing to get the fair price of onion bit the advisers are silent on this issue. “Had the government broken the syndicate, farmers would have received fair prices for their products," he said. Noting that 20-25 people were killed in road accidents in the last two days, Rizvi said had the administration worked hard, many people would not have lost their lives on the roads. “It is essential to introduce a democratic system in the country. The government needs to be accountable. It is ill-intentioned that some advisers are defaming the BNP by ignoring their own works,” he said. The BNP senior joint secretary general urged the government to arrange the election by conducting necessary electoral reforms as soon as possible. Everyone must be part of resistance to extremism and terrorism: IGP “An electoral government is a legitimate government. Any delay in the election is not acceptable to common people. If the specific date of the elections is not clarified, it will create confusion,” said Rizvi. 

An activist of the local unit of Jubo League was shot dead allegedly by miscreants at Baghoil Rooppur intersection in Ishwardi upazila of Pabna district on Monday. The deceased was identified as Walif Hossain Manik, 35, an active member of Jubo League and son of Yunus Ali of the upazila. He was also a former vice-president of Pakshi union unit Chhatra League. Quoting family members of the deceased, Shahidul Islam, officer-in-charge of Ishwardi Police Station, said Manik was an accused of Chhatra League activist Tafsir Ahmed Mana killing case and he also served in jail in the case. Recently, Manik walked out of jail after securing bail in the case. On Monday morning, Manik went out from his home to appear before the court following the case. When he reached at Baghoil Rooppur intersection, 8-10 miscreants opened fire on him around 9 am and stabbed him indiscriminately, leaving Manik dead on the spot. Police sent the body to Pabna General Hospital morgue for autopsy. Chhatra League and Jubo League in the area had been at loggerheads over establishing supremacy for the past several days and the murder might have taken place over the issue.    

The Awami League has issued eight-point directives to party activists ahead of Sunday’s scheduled programme marking the Shaeed Noor Hossain Day in Dhaka’s Gulistan area. The party, ousted from power on August 5 in a mass movement, shared the instructions on its verified Facebook page on Sunday morning. It urged the activists to observe the programme peacefully avoiding any trap of sabotage. "If anyone is detained by the police, RAB, or the army, we will chant "Joy Bangla" in unison, and everyone nearby will go to rescue them. Under no circumstances should you keep any information (party related) on your mobile phone," according to the directives. It also said "Save the names of familiar associates after different names in your mobile phone. Stay in contact with each other and communicate using code words." The directives also include where gatherings are planned, movement in small groups. "If there is resistance, remind the police whose side they are on—those who have killed you (police) by hanging on the streets? And finally do not get locked into any arguments or debates with the army as they won’t obstruct processions or meetings," said the directives.

Deposed former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, who has since been accused in over 200 cases of murder in Bangladeshi courts, has congratulated US president-elect Donald Trump on his victory over Democrat rival Kamala Harris in Tuesday’s election. She stated that his “resounding election victory is a testament to his extraordinary leadership qualities and the immense trust bestowed on him by the American people”. This was notified in a press release circulated via the Awami League’s official, verified Facebook profile on Wednesday evening. The release is signed by AL Office Secretary Barrister Biplab Barua. Sheikh Hasina recalled with fondness her several meetings and interactions as Prime Minister with Donald J. Trump and Melania Trump during his first presidency, the release said, and that she (Hasina) hoped that under a second Trump presidency, bilateral relations between the friendly countries of Bangladesh and the United States of America “would be further strengthened”. She also expressed her commitment to working together “again”, to advance the bilateral and multilateral interests of their two countries. She wished the President-Elect and his family good health, long life, and happiness, and the friendly people of the United States of America continued peace, progress, and prosperity. It was not made clear in the release if the greetings were delivered via letter, phone, or any other medium. Sheikh Hasina is currently residing in the Delhi area of India, where she was forced to flee in the face of a massive popular uprising led by university students on August 5.

Jail Killing Day, commemorating November 3, 1975 when four national leaders and heroes of the country's Liberation War were gunned down inside Dhaka Central Jail, will be observed on Sunday (November 3) as it is the second disgraceful incident in the country after the brutal assassination of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and most of his family members on 15 August 1975. The four assassinated leaders were Syed Nazrul Islam, Tajuddin Ahmad, Captain Mansur Ali and AHM Quamruzzaman. “The Awami League will observe this day with the utmost respect, as it has every year,” the party announced in a statement released on Friday. To commemorate the day on November 3, wreaths will be placed at the graves of Syed Nazrul Islam, Tajuddin Ahmad, Mansur Ali at Banani graveyard. Additionally, AL will pay tribute at the grave of AHM Qamaruzzaman in Rajshahi. In remembrance of our four national leaders and all martyrs of the Liberation War and democratic movements, a special prayer will be offered. AL also urged all leaders, activists, and supporters and its allied organizations, as well as political, social, and cultural organizations across the nation, to participate in discussions and events highlighting the significance of this day. According to the statement, the four leaders sacrificed their lives without hesitation, providing us an inexhaustible source of inspiration in times of national crisis. Their selflessness remains a timeless and exemplary model of devotion to the ideals of the Liberation War and the principles of Bangabandhu. “Their martyrdom fuels our spirit to stand against any force that threatens these ideals,” it added.  

Bangladesh Awami League on Thursday alleged that the interim government is pursuing vendetta that lacks inclusivity and fuels cycle of violence and rights abuses centering July August trial process.  In a statement the AL said: “We would reiterate our commitment for a fair trial involving the July-August violence and bring to justice everyone involved in the violence irrespective of political affiliation.” The party of deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina also accused the interim government of downplaying communal violence by projecting affected minorities as supporters of Awami League and a lack of legal action against perpetrators. The statement came in a Facebook post of the party. It denounced Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus's recent branding of Awami League as a fascist party.  “We would like to remind countrymen that the statement came when hundreds of citizens associated with Awami League are subjected to systematic acts of rights violations including lynching, killing and physical torture......," the statement said. London-based The Financial Times this week carried an interview of Dr Yunus titled as “No place for Sheikh Hasina’s fascist party” where the interim chief asserted in short term there has been no place for the party. AL chief Hasina has been living in India since her downfall in the August 5 student-led mass upsurge.

Awami League on Sunday rejected claims of holding any sort of political programme saying that it is rumour. It also said that if anything is planned it will be announced through proper channel. “There is a deep conspiracy going on against Awami League. Until an announcement is made on the official page, any program news is definitely rumours,” Awami League said in its verified Facebook page. It also mentioned that any party decision will be communicated from Awami League office and through social media. Plots afoot to create constitutional crisis: Salahuddin “Do not be misled by any kind of propaganda,” it said. A media outlet from Pakistan recently reported that Awami League under the leadership of Sheikh Hasina may soon begin street agitation against the interim government of Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus.

The All European Awami League on Thursday strongly condemned and protested the interim government’s decision to ban the Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL). In a joint statement, the organisation's President M Nazrul Islam and General Secretary Mujibur Rahman expressed their discontent, stating that the government had issued a notification banning the Chhatra League based on false accusations. “We strongly condemn and protest this action,” the statement read. They highlighted that Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman founded the Chhatra League in response to the needs of the time, just one year after emerging from British colonial rule and facing Pakistani subjugation. The leaders emphasised that the Chhatra League’s struggles and contributions will be remembered in golden letters in the history of Bangladesh and its fight for independence. They also outlined the organisation’s vital role in major historical events such as the 1952 Language Movement, the 1954 General Elections, the Anti-Ayub Movement of 1958, the Education Movement of 1962, the Six-Point Movement in 1966, the Mass Uprising of 1969, the 1970 General Elections, and its significant contributions during the Liberation War in 1971. They reiterated that the Chhatra League played a crucial and unparalleled role in every democratic movement in Bangladesh’s history. “Bangladesh Chhatra League has been a proud partner in all the major achievements of Bangladesh and its people,” the statement added. They further declared that the Chhatra League, as a driving force in the country’s progress, is imperishable and indestructible. The ban on 76-year old BCL came on Wedbesday night in response to demands from anti-discrimination student movement. A home ministry gazette notification cited evidence of BCL's involvement in killings, torture of students and terrorist activities in the past 15 years of fallen Awami League rule.

The interim government has banned Awami League's student organization, Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL). A notification signed by Senior Secretary Md Abdul Momen of the Public Security Division under the Ministry of Home Affairs in this regard was released on Wednesday. Overhaul of constitution, BCL ban: Anti-Discrimination Student Movement issues five demands According to the notification, over the past 15 years under the Awami League government, Chhatra League has been involved in various activities that disrupt public safety, including murder, rape, torture, harassment in student dormitories, and tender manipulation Additionally, the notification mentions that there is sufficient evidence indicating that BCL continued to engage in conspiratorial, destructive, and provocative activities against the state, as well as various terrorist acts, even after the fall of the Awami League government on August 5. Consequently, the interim government has declared a ban on Bangladesh Chhatra League under Section 18(1) of the Anti-Terrorism Act, 2009.