Gono Odhikar demands arrest, removal of Dhaka North admin over alleged AL affiliation

Gono Odhikar Parishad has given a 48-hour ultimatum to the government demanding the removal and arrest of Dhaka North City Corporation Administrator Mohammad Azaz, over alleged involvement in various corrupt activities while associated with the banned Awami League.

The ultimatum was announced by the party's Senior Vice President Farooq Hasan during a protest rally in front of the Dhaka North headquarters this afternoon (20 May).

If the demand is not met within the deadline, the party, led by Nurul Haque Nur, has threatened to besiege the chief adviser's residence in Jamuna on 24 May.

Farooq Hasan alleged that until 2018, Azaz was an active and high-ranking leader of the banned organisation Hizb ut-Tahrir. "He was arrested multiple times for his involvement with the organisation. Later, he managed to get released and joined the Awami League."

He further alleged that from 2018 to 2023, Ejaz was involved in various corrupt activities while associated with the Awami League. "He was involved in extortion, manipulation of tenders, and all sorts of political misconduct.

"Now, after the wave of protest movements, he has rebranded himself as a revolutionary and grabbed the administrator post through a secret deal with LGRD Adviser Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuiyan," he claimed.

Issuing a direct threat, Hasan said, "We are giving this government and Adviser Asif Mahmud until Thursday. If Ejaz is not removed and arrested by then, we will stage a massive protest in front of the chief adviser's residence in Jamuna on 24 May."

Earlier on 18 May, the Dhaka North City Corporation issued a statement denouncing recent allegations linking Administrator Azaz to the banned organisation Hizb ut-Tahrir, describing them as "entirely baseless and politically motivated."

Allegations against Mohammad Azaz politically motivated, says Dhaka North

"These claims appear to be part of a broader pattern of targeting individuals who have been vocal critics of previous regimes' human rights violations and environmental degradation," said the statement. 

Azaz, who was appointed Dhaka North administrator in February 2025, is widely recognised for his work as a public intellectual, environmental activist, and writer over the past 16 years. His advocacy against authoritarian governance, wetland encroachment, and water-related injustices has drawn both public support and resistance from vested interests, said the statement.