NCP-led protesters block Shahbagh demanding ban on AL

Hundreds of protesters have blocked Shahbagh intersection demanding a ban on Awami League (AL).

The blockade began at 4:45 PM Friday as demonstrators responded to a call from Jatiya Nagorik Party (NCP) southern region Chief Organiser Hasnat Abdullah.

“We must still explain to the government why Awami League must be banned, months after the July movement,” Hasnat Abdullah told the crowd. “Speak to Snigddho’s brother, martyred Wasim’s family, and missing BNP leader Elias’s wife.”

He accused Awami League of killing 30 thousand JSD activists and orchestrating the 2009 Pilkhana BDR massacre “with India’s support”. He claimed: “Hasina worked as Modi’s salaried employee. We refuse to live another day with this Awami League virus.”

Protesters gathered from noon onwards, with numbers swelling after Jummah prayers. The crowd chanted slogans including “Ban, ban, ban Awami League” and “My brother is in the grave, why is the killer free?”

Hasnat Abdullah vowed the blockade would continue “until Awami League is banned” regardless of timeframe. “The Awami League chapter closed on August 5. Politics in Bangladesh must be determined within our country, not by foreign prescriptions,” he declared.

The interim government has yet to respond to protesters’ demands.