Awami League office in Chattogram occupied under NCP leader's leadership

A group of youth led by a leader of the National Citizen Party (NCP) on Tuesday afternoon took over the Chattogram district (north) office of the Awami League (AL), whose activities have been banned.

The office was housed in the Dost Building of New Market of the city.

Arif Moinuddin, joint coordinator of NCP’s Chattogram city committee and former convener of the city unit of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, led the takeover. He was accompanied by former coordinators and activists of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement.

A video of the takeover of the Awami League’s Chattogram North District office has spread on social media Facebook.

The footage shows a group of youths vandalising a mural of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on the wall in front of the office.

NCP and Anti-Discrimination Student Movement leaders, including Arif Moinuddin, were seen in the video.

Various political and social organisations, including the BNP, Basad and Ganosamhati Andolon, have offices at Dost Building in Chattogram city, apart from the Awami League.

After the fall of the Awami League government in the student–public uprising on 5 August last year, the office was vandalised once. It had remained locked since then.

However, Arif Moinuddin, joint coordinator of the NCP’s Chattogram city unit, claimed that leaders and activists of the banned Awami League had been holding meetings at the office late at night.

He told Prothom Alo that Awami League activities were going on in the building and that its leaders and activists used to meet there at night.

After receiving this information, they went there on Tuesday and asked the security guard who visited the place at night. The guard denied that anyone came at night. Then they broke the lock and entered the office, where they found various pieces of evidence. For this reason, they locked the office and will observe the building’s activities for the next two days.

Arif Moinuddin further told Prothom Alo that the building is an abandoned property left behind by Biharis after 1971. He said that, apart from the Awami League, the building also houses offices of the BNP and several other parties.

Abdul Karim, officer-in-charge of Chattogram Kotwali police station, said that as of Tuesday night, no complaints had been received regarding the takeover of the Awami League’s party office. He added that inquiries are being conducted into the matter.