Yunus govt continues crackdown against Awami League, arrests former Secretary and six others
Bangladesh Police Arrest Former Official and Awami League Leaders in Anti-Terrorism Case
Bangladesh police made a big move early Monday, arresting former government secretary Abu Alam Mohammad Shahid Khan in Dhaka. The arrest ties into a case under the Anti-Terrorism Act filed at Shahbagh Police Station. This comes as part of a wider crackdown on Awami League figures under the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus.
Local media reports say police also grabbed five more Awami League leaders and activists from various spots in the capital. Dhaka Metropolitan Police Deputy Commissioner Talebur Rahman confirmed the news. He explained that all six people, including Abu Alam, got picked up for their roles in a recent event by the group ‘Mancha 71’ at the Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU).
Abu Alam once worked as Deputy Press Secretary to former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina during the Awami League’s rule from 1996 to 2001. The case accuses them of trying to stir up trouble and destabilize the country through armed means. It all started at a roundtable discussion on August 28, hosted by Mancha 71 at DRU, according to Bangladesh’s top daily, The Business Standard.
This isn’t the first time. Back on August 28, police arrested 16 others linked to the same event, including former minister and freedom fighter Abdul Latif Siddiqui and Dhaka University Professor Sheikh Hafizur Rahman. That sparked huge public anger across Bangladesh. The group faced charges under the Anti-Terrorism Act at Shahbagh Police Station, and a court sent all 16 to jail on August 29.
Last week, a Bangladesh court turned down bail requests for Siddiqui and journalist Monjurul Alam Panna in this anti-terrorism case. The arrests happened right after the roundtable, which focused on ‘Our Great Liberation War and the Constitution of Bangladesh.’
During the event, Professor Rahman fired up the crowd. Prothom Alo, a leading Bengali daily, quoted him saying, “We are witnessing that an ill attempt is going on to throw away the country’s constitution. Jamaat (Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami), Shibir (Islami Chhatra Shibir) and National Citizen Party (NCP) are behind this. Led by Muhammad Yunus, they have been humiliating freedom fighters with garlands of shoes.”
Things turned chaotic fast. A mob stormed the DRU auditorium, ripped down the event banner, locked in the participants, and handed them over to police.
The Awami League slammed these arrests hard, calling them attacks on "heroic" freedom fighters from the 1971 Liberation War. In a strong statement, the party hit out at the Yunus-led interim government. They said, “Since the illegal usurpation of state power by the murderous fascist Yunus clique, the people of the country have witnessed their ongoing attempts to dishonour, humiliate, and insult the Great Liberation War and our freedom fighters.” The party labeled it "mob terrorism" against those inspired by Bangladesh’s independence spirit.
These arrests highlight the ongoing tensions in Bangladesh’s political scene, with the interim government targeting Awami League members amid calls for stability after recent unrest. Stay tuned for more updates on this developing story.
