Awami League central office in Dhaka set on fire

The central office of the banned Awami League in the capital was set on fire this afternoon. The incident occurred around 1:00 pm on Thursday.

According to eyewitnesses, a group of about 10 to 15 people gathered wood, paper cartons, and other materials on the fourth floor of the building and set them ablaze. When the flames subsided, the same group reignited the fire. As of 1:15 pm, this situation remained same.

After the fall of the Awami League government on 5 August, the same building had been set on fire.

Looting continued throughout August—not only in this building, but also at the Dhaka District Awami League office in Tejgaon and the Awami League president’s office in Dhanmondi. Furniture and other materials were looted from those sites as well. Since then, all three buildings have remained largely abandoned.

Amid the banned Awami League’s online announcement of a “lockdown” programme, leaders and activists of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami took positions at various points across Dhaka on Thursday. In some areas, they also brought out processions. Such scenes were observed in different parts of the capital.

The banned Awami League announced the lockdown centering on the upcoming verdict date of the International Crimes Tribunal case filed against the deposed former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and two other accused for crimes against humanity committed during the July mass uprising. The tribunal has set Monday, 17 November, for the verdict announcement.

The date was fixed today by International Crimes Tribunal-1, headed by Justice Md Golam Mortuza Majumder. The other two members of the tribunal are Justice Md Shafiul Alam Mahmood and Judge Md Mohitul Haque Enam Chowdhury.