There was a nationwide uprising that forced Hasina Wajid to flee to India on August 5 (Photo: AFP).
Bangladesh’s interim government has banned the student wing of ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League.
According to Arab News, a gazette notification issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs on Wednesday night said that the Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) has been banned under the Anti-Terrorism Act.
The ministry accused BCL of mismanagement over the past 15 years, including violence, harassment and exploitation of public resources.
The notification said there was evidence of the group’s “conspiratorial, destructive and provocative actions against the nation as well as various terrorist activities” during the nationwide protests, which forced Hasina Wajid to flee to India.
In Bangladesh, peaceful student-led protests against job quotas in the public sector began in early July. Two weeks later, they faced a violent crackdown by security forces, aided by BCL activists, that killed more than 600 people, according to UN estimates.
The violence led to a nationwide uprising that forced Hasina Wajid to flee to neighboring India on August 5, and an interim cabinet led by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Younis took charge.
There was no comment from the Awami League as many of its leaders have been arrested for their role in the unrest.
“What we believe in is the rule of law,” BNP International Affairs Secretary Naushad Jameer told Arab News. Whenever such a decision is taken, it should be done by process of law. Anything that is out of the ordinary and due process always has some disadvantages. I believe it would be more acceptable if such a decision were preceded by a public hearing or some other clear legal process.’
