Attack on Hadi: Hasnat vows 'no space for fascists' in Bangladesh

There would be no place for fascists in Bangladesh, regardless of the name or platform under which they operate, National Citizen Party (NCP) Chief Organiser (South) Hasnat Abdullah said today (13 December).

"No matter what name the Awami League uses, fascists will not be given any space in Bangladesh. Those disgraced elements are regrouping again under the banner of the Jatiya Party. We take an oath in Osman Hadi's blood – they will not be given even an inch of space in this country," said the NCP leader.

He made the remarks while speaking at a rally organised by Inqilab Mancha to protest the gun attack on its spokesperson, Sharif Osman Hadi, in front of the National Museum at the capital's Shahbagh.

Hasnat also claimed that "Indian dominance" would not be allowed to enter Bangladesh "in any form – through individuals, institutions, talk show figures or professionals".

He further alleged that Awami League activists were once again holding rallies and meetings on university campuses.

"For 17 years, they ruled under the name of the Awami League. Now they are appearing as teachers, talk show intellectuals, cultural activists, and theatre workers," he said.

At the same protest, Asaduzzaman Fuaad, general secretary of the Amar Bangladesh (AB) Party, said Bangladesh would not return to the last year's pre-5 August political reality and that the Awami League would not be allowed to make a comeback.

"Bangladesh will not accept subservience to Delhi. No so-called journalists or civil society figures will be able to sell this country's struggle for freedom to Delhi," he said.

Fuaad also remarked that those who could not even pronounce Hadi's name properly or were unfamiliar with Inqilab Mancha would become politically irrelevant in the days ahead.