SAD, Gono Odhikar Parishad, other student orgs set to hold protests today demanding ban on AL

Several student organisations, including Students Against Discrimination (SAD) and Gono Odhikar Parishad, plan to hold protest rallies today (21 March) demanding a permanent ban on Awami League (AL).

Their announcement came after National Citizens Party (NCP) and SAD leader Hasnat Abdullah in a Facebook post alleged that a plot is being hatched to rehabilitate AL under the stewardship of India.

Immediately after Hasnat's post in the early hours went viral, a group of Dhaka University (DU) students held a procession on the campus over the same demand.

They also announced to reconvene at the base of the Anti-terrorism Raju Sculpture at the TSC intersection this afternoon to press home their demand.

Students and student organisations also demanded the removal of Bangladesh Army's Chief of Army Staff General Waker-Uz-Zaman and the withdrawal of Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus' remarks where he said the interim government has no plan to ban AL.

Some other political entities have also called for rallies over the same demand at different times of the day.

Yunus said his administration has no plans to ban AL, but individuals within the party's leadership accused of crimes, including murder and crimes against humanity, will be tried.

Were proposed seat sharing to accept AL rehabilitation plan at 11 Mar meeting in Cantonment: Hasnat

In his Facebook post early today, Hasnat divulged details of a key meeting held at the Cantonment on 11 March, between himself and two others from NCP with presumably military leadership, where a proposal was put forward to them to bring back the AL to mainstream politics. He wrote:

"On 11 March, at 2:30pm, this plan was presented to me and two others at the Cantonment. It was proposed that in exchange for negotiated seat sharing (at the next election), we should accept this offer. We were told that the same proposal was put forward to multiple political parties  — and, subject to certain conditions, they had agreed to the rehabilitation of the Awami League. It was suggested that having multiple opposition parties alongside a weak Awami League would be better than just one opposition party. As a result, over the past two days, you will notice that many politicians in the media have been speaking in favour of the Awami League."

He said the move was being orchestrated by India, and the plan was to have ex-MP Saber Hossain Chowdhury, ex-speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury, and ex-mayor of Dhaka South Fazle Noor Taposh as the faces of what would amount to a 'Refined Awami League'.

Hasnat continued, "We were further told that from April-May onwards, this 'Refined Awami League,' would start admitting to the crimes of the Sheikh family, reject Hasina, and promise to reestablish the Awami League of Bangabandhu in front of the public."

Hasnat said they immediately rejected the proposal and informed their interlocutors that instead of rehabilitating the Awami League, they should be working towards bringing them to justice.

"In response, we were told that if we object to the return of the Awami League, we would be responsible for the crisis it creates in the country, and that  'Awami League must come back,'" he said.

Meanwhile, Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Shafiqur Rahman, in an early morning post on Facebook today, seemed to add his voice to Hasnat's in this regard for the first time, with a statement titled "The public will not accept the rehabilitation of the Awami League."

Without calling directly for the Awami League to be banned, he emphasised bringing them to justice as the number one priority in front of the nation right now.

He urged all sides to remain united in this goal.