A large-scale protest has erupted at Shahbagh intersection in Dhaka, with demonstrators demanding a ban on the ruling Awami League.
The demonstration began after 3 pm on Saturday, organized by groups such as Islami Chhatra Shibir and United Peoples Bangladesh (UP Bangladesh). Leaders and activists from various political and social organizations joined in, arriving in processions and chanting slogans.
By around 3:30 pm, several key figures, including Hasnat Abdullah (southern chief organizer of the National Citizen Party, NCP), Sarjis Alam (northern chief organizer of NCP), Ali Ahsan Junayed (convener of UP Bangladesh), and central Shibir leader Sibghatullah, took positions on the steps under a billboard at Shahbagh. They urged everyone to sit peacefully on the road and maintain discipline.
Protesters shouted slogans such as:
- "Ban the Awami League!"
- "Catch the League, throw them in jail!"
- "League, not come back!"
- "Step down, Chuppu!"
- "Cancel the League's registration!"
- "Dhaka, not Delhi!"
This protest follows an earlier sit-in organized by NCP on Thursday night and Friday morning in front of the chief advisor's residence in Jamuna. By Friday afternoon, leaders and activists from other parties had joined the movement, culminating in a rally at Minto Road.
At 4:35 pm on Friday, Hasnat Abdullah declared the start of the "Shahbagh Blockade," leading a march that shut down the intersection. Later that night, he reiterated their three-point demand:
- Declaring the Awami League a terrorist organization and banning it.
- Enabling group prosecution of the Awami League under the International Crimes Tribunal Act.
- Issuing a "July Declaration" in support of these demands.
Today, Hasnat Abdullah also announced on Facebook a call to build a broad national alliance against fascism.
