AL men hold flash processions in Khulna to 'show strength'

Local Awami League activists in Khulna today brought out two flash processions as a sheer show of strength, reportedly under the instruction of the party's top brass as well as their party chief, ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina, from India.

In addition, a memorandum was also submitted to the Khulna deputy commissioner seeking withdrawal of cases filed at the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) against Hasina.

The processions were brought out by the party's Khulna metropolitan and district units at the city's Zero Point area around 7:30am, and at Daulatpur upazila around 3pm, each joined by more than a hundred local AL leaders and activists.

At the processions, the participants shouted various slogans in support of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's ideology, Sheikh Hasina and her party, and also criticised the interim government's Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus.

At noon, 10 pro-Awami League lawyers submitted a memorandum to the DC office, demanding withdrawal of the ICT cases against Sheikh Hasina.

Regarding the processions, no leaders from the top brass of the Khulna Awami League made any comments in the media.

However, an executive committee member of Dumuria upazila AL, Pratap Kumar Roy, said at a meeting through the Telegram app on 5 April, party President Sheikh Hasina instructed district AL leaders and activists at various levels to hold processions and maintain courage.

In addition, there were instructions from the party's top brass for processions, he said.

"We held the procession to demand that all the 'false' and 'unfounded' cases against Sheikh Hasina be withdrawn and that she be brought back to the country with due dignity," Pratap said further.

Earlier, on Saturday, Home Affairs Adviser Lt Gen (retd) Md Jahangir Alam Chowdhury warned against any such processions by the Awami League.

He also warned against any police inaction regarding such events.

Commenting on yesterday's AL processions in Khulna, Deputy Commissioner of the Khulna Metropolitan Police, Md Abu Tarek, said they have collected CCTV footages of the venues to identify those who brought out the processions.

Drives have already been launched to detain them, he added.  

Leaders and activists of both the National Citizen Party (NCP) and the BNP expressed concerns over the AL processions in Khulna.

Local NCP leader Abdul Chowdhury said they would hold a press conference demanding a ban on the Awami League, while BNP's city media cell convener Mizanur Rahman Milton called for strict administrative measures to prevent the recurrence of any "authoritarian activities" by the AL.