In the last 36 hours, Bangladesh police raided the Narayanganj district and took 21 Awami League leaders and activists into custody. News outlets say the arrests followed a broader crackdown on party members across the country.
Police chief Tarek Al Mehedi told reporters that security has been stepped up statewide. “We’ve set up nine checkpoints on key roads leading to Dhaka and dispatched 26 mobile patrol units,” he said. The Daily Star added that the patrols are active on major highways to keep the area calm.
The moves come as the interim government, led by Muhammad Yunus, tightens control ahead of the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) hearing on former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. The ICT is due to announce its verdict on Monday over accusations of crimes against humanity linked to the July 2023 protests.
Earlier Sunday, police in Cumilla arrested 44 Awami League figures. Super‑intendent Mohammad Nazir Ahmed Khan said a tip led to the arrest of 29 Chhatra League leaders charged with plotting sabotage at the Tomsom Bridge and other local sites. Fifteen more activists were taken during raids across the district.
Shooting‑at‑sight orders from Dhaka Metropolitan Police commissioner Sheikh Md Sajjat Ali added to the tense atmosphere. The order targets people involved in arson, cocktail explosions or who threaten police and civilians. The two‑day strike organized by the Awami League on November 16‑17 coincided with a spike in such incidents in the capital.
The ICT case also includes former Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal and former Inspector General of Police Chowdhury Abdullah Al‑Mamun, who is already in custody and has pleaded guilty. Awami League leaders and human‑rights groups argue the trial is politically motivated and warn that the verdict could remove a democratically elected leader from Bangladesh’s future.
Supporters of Sheikh Hasina accuse the interim government of using the tribunal to silence dissent. They say the investigation is less a fair trial and more a tool to displace a popular political figure.
The arrests and security sweep reflect the administration’s push to control the opposition as it prepares for the ICT verdict. Bangladesh’s political landscape remains on edge as authorities clamp down on protestors and opposition activists.
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