It has been 11 months since the Awami League government in Bangladesh was toppled through a well-coordinated regime change operation. The undemocratic ouster of Sheikh Hasina and her eventual escape to India meant that party leaders were left to fend for themselves against the systematic persecution by Islamists under the watch of ‘chief advisor’ Muhammad Yunus.
Numerous Awami League politicians and supporters alike were killed and tortured by violent mobs. The party was disenfranchised while its associate student and youth wings were disbanded. The Yunus regime curbed the political activities of the Awami League in the garb of ‘fighting fascism.’
Attempts were made to erase the existence of the political party and its contribution to the freedom movement of Bangladesh. As such, the future of the Awami League appeared dark and bleak. With no strong leader in its midst, worsened by popular discontentment, the story of the Sheikh Hasina-led party was written off completely.
Despite all the pessimism, the Awami League supporters are gradually rebuilding the party in the absence of Sheikh Hasina. They are taking to the streets, without fear for their safety and security, to challenge the Yunus regime and its puppets in the political arena.
Awami League supporters take NCP Islamists head-on
Such an act of resistance was on display when Awami League supporters challenged Islamists belonging to the National Citizen Party (NCP) – a political outfit comprising radicals who orchestrated the fall of Sheikh Hasina.
The incident occurred on Wednesday (16th July) in Gopalganj in the Dhaka Division of Bangladesh. Awami League supporters protested against the NCP during their ‘March to Rebuild the Nation’ programme.
Armed with sticks, they chased the Islamists who toppled the democratic Sheikh Hasina government in August 2024. The Awami League supporters chanted the slogan of ‘Joy Bangla’ and stormed the site of NCP rally.
Given that many members of the NCP served as ex-advisors to the interim government, Yunus quickly directed its security officials to curb the protests with an iron hand.
The police forces and Army officials initially fired tear gas shells and sound grenades, but later unleashed brutalities on Awami League supporters. According to media reports, Yunus’ security forces killed at least 4 protesters. A curfew was also imposed in the area.
Gopalganj is home to the mausoleum of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the Founding Father of Bangladesh. Sheikh Hasina had contested several elections in the past from this constituency.
Rattled by the protests of the Awami League supporters, the office of Muhammad Yunus stated, “This heinous act…will not go unpunished.”
Awami League rebuilding itself, with one protest at a time
In January 2025, supporters of the Awami League announced a 9-day roster of protests to bring an end to the undemocratic rule of Muhammad Yunus.
“People of Bangladesh do not want this interim government, which doesn’t have any constitutional validity, to be in power for even another day…. AL being a party of ordinary people of Bangladesh is organising the programmes to give voice to people’s concerns,” absconding Awami League leader A.F.M Bahauddin Nasim told The Telegraph
In February this year, Islamists masquerading as ‘student protestors’ launched attacks at the residence of Awami League leader Mozammel Haque in Bangladesh’s Gazipur. This prompted Awami League supporters to resist the attackers.
The Home Ministry of Bangladesh issued a statement, shrewdly labelling the clashes between the ‘student protestors’ and Awami League supporters as ‘terrorist attacks.’
Home Affairs Advisor Jahangir Alam Chowdhury declared, “Those who attempt to destabilise the country will be arrested.” The repeated dehumanisation and attempts to portray the Awami League as an ‘enemy of Bangladesh’ were soon followed by mass arrests.
? BREAKING: Early this morning, one of the coordinators of the anti-discrimination student movement(SAD), Hasnat Abdullah, and Sarjis Alam, openly ordered the MURDER of former Gazipur Mayor Jahangir Alam, Minister for Liberation War Affairs Mozammel Haque, and Gazipur District… pic.twitter.com/8sV7RQZaMj
— Asifur Rahman Chowdhury (@Asifurrahman71) February 8, 2025
In May this year, the Awami League protested against the decision of the Yunus regime to ban the political activities of the party.
Statement of Bangladesh Awami League in Protest of the Decision to Ban Its Activities
— Bangladesh Awami League (@albd1971) May 10, 2025
—
Today, the illegal and unconstitutional occupying fascist regime of Yunus has declared the banning of Awami League’s activities, leaving the people of Bengal stunned and outraged. This day… pic.twitter.com/i8eFY2R3Z2
How Muhammad Yunus oversaw persecution of the Awami League
Soon after coming to power on 8th August 2024, Muhammad Yunus chalked out plans to ban the Awami League. The plan did not go through due to fierce opposition from rival political parties.
In October 2024, the interim government banned the Bangladesh Chhatra League, the student wing of the Awami League, over supposed violence committed by its members since 2008.
In January this year, Yunus regime introduced new textbooks for primary and secondary students which falsely claim that the first declaration of independence of Bangladesh was made by Ziaur Rehman, the founder of BNP, and not Mujibur Rehman.
The ‘Nobel laureate’ has made it clear that he is willing to go to any length to distort the country’s history and erase the contribution of the Awami League in the Independence Movement.
The ‘student protestors’, who oversaw the ouster of Sheikh Hasina, had launched ‘Bulldozer procession’ outside the residence of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rehman in February this year. They carried out vandalism and set the building on fire.
The radical elements, who enjoy the backing of the Yunus regime, also damaged murals of the founding Father of the Nation. They also carried out destruction and arson attacks on the residences of Sheikh Hasina’s late husband and cousins.
The ‘student protestors’ also attacked the homes of ex-President Abdul Hamid and former Bangladeshi army chief Moeen U. Ahmed. Far from condemning the vandalism, Yunus appeared to justify the actions. This explains why no ‘student protestor’ has been arrested.
He has also remained tight-lipped on attacks on Awami League leaders and the destruction of the party office.
The advisors to Muhammad Yunus such as Mahfuz Alam and Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuyain had called for the disbanding of Awami League earlier this year.
Mahfuz Alam had announced, “The elections will be contested among pro-Bangladesh groups only.” He defined pro-Bangladesh groups as BNP, Jamaat-e-Islami etc and said that these parties would form a government through ‘fair electoral process’
“But Awami League’s rehabilitation will not be allowed in this country,” he emphasised, indicating that there are no plans to let Awami League contest elections in a ‘democratic’ Bangladesh.
Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuyain had also declared that Awami League should be ‘eradicated politically and ideologically’ from the Islamic Republic.
He claimed, “The Awami League should not only be banned but also politically eradicated from Bangladesh. This is my personal stance. Now, discussion may take place on how it will be implemented. There are precedents of this in various countries”
“I have seen my brothers martyred by their [AL men] firing before my eyes. I have been a victim of disappearance; I have seen death up close. It is impossible to even think of the political rehabilitation of Awami League,” Bhuyain brazened out.
Islamist Sarjis Alam, who is close to the Yunus regime and now part of the NCP, had also demanded a blanket ban on the Awami League.
“We cannot hold voters accountable for the crimes of the party. However, the registration of the Awami League as a political party must be completely revoked,” Alam had declared.
Around the same time, Muhammad Yunus launched a campaign to hunt down Awami League (AL) leaders from across the country. The nefarious mission has been dubbed ‘Operation Devil Hunt.’
As part of the political witch-hunt, as many as 12,000 Awami League supporters and activists were put behind bars. The centrally supervised campaign was executed by the police, Bangladesh Army, Navy, Air Force, Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), Ansar and the Coast Guard.
In May this year, the Yunus regime finally banned the Awami League under the Anti-Terrorism Act, days after the NCP launched a march to ensure the disbanding of the political party.
In July 2025, Awami League leader Sheikh Hasina was sentenced in absentia to 6 months in prison for ‘contempt of court’ by the Yunus-controlled Bangladesh International Crimes Tribunal (ICT).
Conclusion
Muhammad Yunus was tasked to lead Bangladesh following the undemocratic ouster of former Prime Minister and Awami League supremo, Sheikh Hasina.
He was expected to take the Islamic Republic on the path of ‘democracy’ in the politically turbulent time.
However, the regime of the Nobel laureate is busy pandering to Islamists, ensuring the revival of the opposition BNP and crushing the Awami League with an iron fist as part of a well-thought-out political strategy.
Despite his all-out efforts aimed at gutting Bangladesh’s premier political party, the Awami League is rebuilding itself slowly and steadily in the absence of Sheikh Hasina.
