B’desh: Awami League accuses BNP, Islamist group of violent attack on party leader’s residence

Dhaka: The Awami League has accused the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and the radical Islamist party Hefazat-e-Islam of vandalising and looting the residence of the party’s Netrokona Vice President Prashanta Kumar Roy in a violent attack following a recent rally in the district.

“On the morning of June 20, 2025, Prashanta Kumar Roy addressed a protest rally at the Netrokona District Awami League office premises. Following a peaceful procession through the town led by him, armed cadres from BNP and Hefaz erupted in fury and launched a targeted assault,” said the Awami League.

“They brutally attacked and ransacked both his town residence and village home, leaving destruction in their wake. This incident is yet another stark reminder that violence and anarchy are the core doctrine of BNP-Hefazat. Their true face was once again exposed — this time, in Netrokona,” it added.

Meanwhile, the Awami League also condemned the severe “persecution, violence, and continued mob terror and indiscriminate mass arrests” carried out by the “ illegitimate fascist” Muhammad Yunus-led interim government against leaders and activists of the Bangladesh Awami League and other political parties.

In a statement issued by the Awami League Joint General Secretary A.F.M. Bahauddin Nasim on Tuesday said that the “illegal occupier Yunus regime is not only resorting to brutal, indiscriminate oppression using state power in a terrorist manner but is also actively destroying social harmony by spreading hate and unwarranted resentment.”

He asserted that through “mass arrests and illegal detentions”, this “unconstitutional and undemocratic government” has established a “reign of terror” under the guise of state authority.

“This occupying force, ruling against the will of the people, is increasingly being identified as an enemy of the public. Yet their illegal, unjust, and unlawful actions show no signs of stopping. The fascist Yunus regime’s latest innovation — orchestrated mob violence — is a clear attempt to transform Bangladesh into a failed state,” read a statement issued by the Awami League.

“We strongly condemn and protest this mob violence, which is being perpetrated with the direct support of this illegitimate regime, along with the state-sponsored repression and indiscriminate mass arrests aimed at dismantling the democratic fabric of the nation,” the statement added.

The party revealed that as part of the “destructive scheme”, the regime is indiscriminately arresting Awami League leaders and activists. It stated that recently, countless leaders and activists have been “unjustly” arrested, including Member of Parliament Mohammad Faisal Biplob, former MP Sabina Akhter Tuhin, former Chhatra League Vice Presidents Monowarul Islam Masud and Kamal Khan, and Shahjahanpur Upazila Jubo League Office Secretary and Chupinagar Union Parishad Chairman Arif Azad Palash.

The Awami League also highlighted that the police unleashed “barbaric violence” at the home of Abu Sayeed, Vice President of the Union Awami League and uncle of the Shahjahanpur Upazila Chairman, after failing to find him.

“Additionally, the former Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), Bir Muktijoddha Nurul Huda — a decorated freedom fighter who once held a constitutional office — was shamefully dishonoured and arrested through mob violence. This grave injustice has deeply hurt the sentiment of the people of Bangladesh, yet the fascist Yunus regime, which has illegally clung to power like a boulder crushing the nation, continues to commit such monstrous acts,” said the Awami League.

The party demanded an immediate end to mob violence and indiscriminate mass arrests, calling for the unconditional release of all those wrongfully detained, including Awami League leaders and activists.

IANS