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Criticism of Awami League

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Criticism of Bangladesh Awami League here refers to criticism directed against incidents related to, and certain activities of, a Bangladeshi political party named Bangladesh Awami League and all political organizations connected with it, including the Bangladesh Chhatra League, the Jubo League, the Swechchhasebak League, etc., as well as other bodies with which Awami League is in fact or allegedly involved, directly or indirectly, whether in power or not।[1] Some notable examples are the murder of Abrar Fahad, Padma Bridge graft scandal, the Murder of Biswajit Das, the Murder of Sagar Sarowar and Meherun Runi, the Bangladesh Rifles revolt, the 2013 Shapla Square protests, the Bangladesh quota reform movement, the Violence of Bangladesh Chhatra League, the S Alam Group scandal, the Logi Boitha movement, disputed elections in 2009, 2014 and 2018, corruption at the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant, etc.[2]

Jatiya Rakkhi Bahini

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Main article: Jatiya Rakkhi Bahini
See also: 1972–1975 Bangladesh insurgency and 1974 Ramna massacre

Second revolution

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Main articles: Second Revolution (Bangladesh) and Bangladesh Krishak Sramik Awami League

Bangladesh Rifles revolt

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Main article: Bangladesh Rifles revolt

Massacre in the 2013 Shapla Square protests

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Main article: 2013 Shapla Square protests

Murder of Abrar Fahad

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Main article: Murder of Abrar Fahad
Protest against the killing of BUET student Abrar Fahad

'Abrar Fahad was a second-year student in the Electrical and Electronic Engineering (EEE) department at the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET). He was brutally tortured and killed inside BUET's Sher-e-Bangla Hall by leaders associated with BUET's Chhatra League, a student political organization. The incident sparked national outrage and led to protests against campus violence. Abrar's murderers were later sentenced to death following a highly publicized trial.[3][4] An autopsy report later confirmed that Fahad died as a result of severe blunt force trauma.[5][6]

Murder of Sagar Sarowar and Meherun Runi

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Main article: Murder of Sagar Sarowar and Meherun Runi

The murder of Sagar Sarowar and Meherun Runi is the unsolved double murder case of two well-known, married Bangladeshi journalists who were stabbed to death.[7][8][9][10][11][12] The case is still open, and DNA testing indicates that the murder may be the work of two men.[13] The couple's murder received high-level political attention and widespread media coverage in Bangladesh, and also attracted German interest as Sarowar had lived in Germany and worked as a journalist for Deutsche Welle. The case was also closely watched by journalists and international press freedom organisations.[8][14][15][16] The couple's murder furthermore unified a number of organisations representing Bangladeshi journalists that had previously been separate.[17] A representative of the family said, "In the past 25 years, this has been the most talked/written about, prioritized case in Bangladesh."[18][19] A demonstration was called in 2017 for the fifth anniversary of the murder to demand the release of the investigation report.[20]

Murder of Biswajit Das

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Main article: Murder of Biswajit Das

Biswajit Das was a 24-year-old tailor in Dhaka, Bangladesh, who was murdered on 9 December 2012 by members of the Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL), the student wing of the governing Awami League party.[21] On that day there was a nationwide road blockade, called by the opposition 18 Party Alliance. That morning, Das was on his way to his shop, Amantron Tailors at Shankhari Bazaar in Old Dhaka, when one or more small bombs exploded near an anti-blockade procession of BCL activists from Jagannath University.[22][23][24] A group of them mistook Das for an opposition supporter and chased him from near Bahadur Shah Park into a nearby building.[23] They attacked him with machetes, iron bars, and hockey sticks.[22] Das attempted to escape, but fell down at Shankhari Bazar Road. A rickshaw-puller took Das to Mitford Hospital, where he died shortly after from his wounds.[23]

Padma Bridge graft scandal

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Main article: Padma Bridge graft scandal

The Padma Bridge graft scandal was a political scandal in Bangladesh in 2016 and 2017, involving the Bangladesh Awami League and the Padma Bridge, a 6.15-kilometer (3.82 mi) road-rail bridge across the Padma River and Bangladesh's longest bridge.

The World Bank were to have financed the project with ৳11,367 crore (US$1.2 billion) of credit, but they pulled out citing corruption concerns, specifically that Canadian construction company SNC-Lavalin had bribed a Bangladeshi official in exchange for a construction contract.[25]

Two SNC-Lavalin executives were charged in Canada, but after the court excluded wiretap evidence the prosecution withdrew and the court dismissed the case.[26][27]

July massacre

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Main article: July massacre
Further information: 2024 Bangladesh quota reform movement and Non-cooperation movement (2024)

The quota reform movement in Bangladesh was organized in order to demand a reduction of quotas for government jobs and the introduction of recruitment based on merit.[28][29][30] There have been three agitations for quota reforms in Bangladesh. So far, the university and college students have generally expressed themselves in favor of this movement, while Awami League, the ruling government, Chhatra League and like-minded organisations oppose the proposed changes.[31][32]

A first quota reform movement took place in 2013. Following the 2018 movement, a circular was issued which adressed the demands, but it was subsequently declared invalid by the Supreme Court, leading to a restart of the movement in 2024. On each occasion, Bangladesh Police and Chhatra League attacked the students with lethal force.[33][34][35]

Aynaghar

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Main article: Aynaghar

Aynaghar is a clandestine detention facility operated by the Directorate General of Forces Intelligence (DGFI), the intelligence branch of Bangladesh's armed forces. Between 2009 and 2021, under the leadership of Sheikh Hasina, individuals who expressed dissent or criticism against the Awami League government were secretly apprehended and subjected to torture within its confines.

Numerous opposition leaders and activists vanished during Sheikh Hasina's tenure. Their locations remain undisclosed. Even the names of military personnel appear on the list of people who have disappeared. Aynaghar, in essence, serves as a covert prison or detention camp managed by the intelligence agencies.[36][37]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ হোসেন, আনোয়ার (2024-06-23). "আওয়ামী লীগের ৭৫ বছর: সাফল্যের পাশাপাশি আছে সমালোচনাও". Prothomalo (in Bengali). Retrieved 2024-08-21.
  2. ^ লিটন, শাখাওয়াত (2017-08-10). "সব দায় কি আওয়ামী লীগের একার?". The Daily Star Bangla. Retrieved 2024-08-21.
  3. ^ "Abrar Fahad: Killing of Bangladesh student triggers protests". BBC News. Archived from the original on 3 December 2019. Retrieved 9 October 2019.
  4. ^ "9 held over Buet student Abrar murder". The Daily Star. Archived from the original on 8 October 2019. Retrieved 8 October 2019.
  5. ^ "Autopsy report: Abrar was beaten to death". Dhaka Tribune. 7 October 2019. Archived from the original on 8 October 2019. Retrieved 8 October 2019.
  6. ^ "Buet student beaten to death: Critical FB post costs him his life?". The Daily Star. Archived from the original on 15 October 2019. Retrieved 8 October 2019.
  7. ^ "Police: Journalist couple killed in Bangladesh". The Guardian. 11 February 2012. Retrieved 7 March 2012.
  8. ^ a b Berning, Sarah. "Ex Deutsche Welle journalist victim of brutal stabbing at home in Dhaka". Deutsche Welle.
  9. ^ Sarkar, Kailash; Mollah, Shaheen (12 February 2012). "Journalist couple killed". The Daily Star. Retrieved 7 March 2012.
  10. ^ "No case, probe headway". bdnews24.com. 12 February 2012. Retrieved 24 February 2013.
  11. ^ "Journalist couple murdered in city". New Age. 11 February 2012. Archived from the original on 29 June 2013. Retrieved 7 March 2012.
  12. ^ "Sagar Sarwar And Mehrun Runi, Journalist Couple, Killed in Bangladesh". Huffington Post. Associated Press. 11 February 2012. Archived from the original on 14 February 2012. Retrieved 7 March 2012.
  13. ^ "No light in sight in Sagar-Runi murder case even after 3 yrs". The Financial Express. Dhaka. 11 February 2015.
  14. ^ "Bangladesh: TV journalist couple murdered in Dhaka". BBC News. 11 February 2012. Retrieved 14 March 2013.
  15. ^ Ahmad, Shamim (23 February 2012). "Turbulence ahead". Dhaka Courier. Archived from the original on 20 August 2014. Retrieved 7 March 2013.
  16. ^ Jones, Kristin (27 February 2012). "Bangladeshi journalists call for justice in couple's murder". Committee to Protect Journalists. Retrieved 7 March 2013.
  17. ^ "2 factions of BFUJ, DUJ mull unity". The Daily Star. 24 December 2012. Retrieved 10 March 2013.
  18. ^ Hossain, Anika (2013-03-05). "CASE: OPEN". The Daily Star. Retrieved 2024-08-21.
  19. ^ Ullah, Md Ahamed (4 March 2012). "Many murders in the month of martyrs". Daily Sun. Archived from the original on 28 June 2013. Retrieved 7 April 2013.
  20. ^ "Sagar-Runi killing: Journalists to launch tough movement". Dhaka Tribune. 11 February 2017.
  21. ^ "Biswajit Murder: HC verdict on Aug 6". The Daily Star. July 18, 2017. Retrieved July 29, 2024.
  22. ^ a b "21 BCL men indicted". The Daily Star. Jun 3, 2013. Retrieved July 29, 2024.
  23. ^ a b c "Eight to die for Biswajit murder, 13 get life". bdnews24.com. 18 December 2013. Retrieved 2017-08-03.
  24. ^ "Bangladesh sentences eight students to death for murder". LiveMint. Agence France-Presse. 18 December 2013. Retrieved 2017-08-03.
  25. ^ "World Bank cancels Bangladesh bridge loan over corruption". BBC News. 30 June 2012. Retrieved 31 December 2016.
  26. ^ "Canada court finds no proof of Padma bridge bribery conspiracy". The Daily Star. 11 February 2017. Retrieved 7 February 2019.
  27. ^ "Did a Canada Court Really Clear Bangladesh Officials of Corruption?". thewire.in. Retrieved 2022-01-01.
  28. ^ Hasnat, Saif (11 July 2024). "Tens of Thousands of Students Protest Job Quotas in Bangladesh's Streets". The New York Times.
  29. ^ "Bangladesh's top court scales back government jobs quota after deadly unrest that has killed scores". Washington Post. 21 July 2024. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
  30. ^ "Here's what to know about the violent protests over government jobs roiling Bangladesh". Washington Post. 19 July 2024. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
  31. ^ Mashal, Mujib. "An Unbending Leader's Crackdown Rains Carnage on Bangladesh". The New York Times.
  32. ^ দিগন্ত, Daily Nayadiganta-নয়া. "কোটা সংস্কার আন্দোলন : নতুন কর্মসূচি ঘোষণা". Daily Nayadiganta (নয়া দিগন্ত) : Most Popular Bangla Newspaper (in Bengali). Retrieved 2024-07-17.
  33. ^ "ঢামেকের জরুরি বিভাগে ঢুকে শিক্ষার্থীদের ওপর ছাত্রলীগের হামলা". ittefaq. 2024-07-17. Retrieved 2024-07-17.
  34. ^ "কোটা আন্দোলন: ঢাকার বাইরের ক্যাম্পাসেও ছাত্রলীগের হামলা, মঙ্গলবার বিক্ষোভ ঘোষণা". BBC News বাংলা (in Bengali). 2024-07-15. Retrieved 2024-07-17.
  35. ^ "কোটা আন্দোলন: জাহাঙ্গীরনগরে মধ্যরাত পর্যন্ত সংঘর্ষ ও হামলা, শিক্ষক গুলিবিদ্ধ হওয়ার অভিযোগ". BBC News বাংলা (in Bengali). 2024-07-16. Retrieved 2024-07-17.
  36. ^ "Secret prisoners of Dhaka". Netra News — নেত্র নিউজ. 14 August 2022. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
  37. ^ "Former Detainees Describe Secret Prison in Bangladesh". VOA. Voice of America. 16 August 2022. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
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