Staff Reporter :
Despite plans to hold a rally in central Dhaka on Sunday to commemorate Shaheed Noor Hossain Day, the Awami League (AL) refrained from gathering at the city’s Zero Point due to the overwhelming presence of student-led demonstrations. Instead, AL leaders organised smaller, isolated processions across the capital, steering clear of the high-tension area.
Early on Sunday morning, students and supporters from the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement and affiliated organisations gathered at Shaheed Noor Hossain Chattar and near the AL central office on Bangabandhu Avenue.
Demonstrators set up a stage on the main road by the General Post Office, close to the south gate of Baitul Mukarram Mosque, where they began their mass rally around 12:30 pm.
Leaders of the student movement, including Convener Hasnat Abdullah and Coordinator Sarjis Alam, led the protest, chanting slogans against the “fascist Awami League.”
Traffic was blocked along several routes, including Zero Point to Bangabandhu National Stadium, Gulistan, Tikatuli, and Motijheel, while other areas saw normal flow.
By 4:14 pm, the student-led protest concluded without major clashes, although police remained on high alert throughout the day.
Meanwhile, a large group of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) members and affiliated activists gathered near the AL office to prevent any AL demonstrations in the area.
Supporters from organisations such as Jubo Dal, Chhatra Dal, and Mohila Dal took positions around the AL headquarters from the early hours of Sunday, with additional BNP-affiliated groups like Jamaat-e-Islami and Gono Odhikar Parishad joining the gathering. Some were observed carrying sticks.
Tensions occasionally flared as BNP supporters suspected certain individuals of being AL affiliates. Paltan police confirmed that some individuals were handed over to authorities after being confronted by BNP activists.
These detainees have since been taken into custody for questioning, according to Kazi Nasirul Amin, Officer-in-Charge of Paltan Police Station.
In response to the swelling crowd and potential flashpoints, security forces significantly increased their presence in the area.
Assistant Commissioner Mohammad Farabi of Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s Motijheel Zone reported that water cannons and riot control vehicles were stationed near Zero Point and Bangabandhu Avenue, with Border Guard Bangladesh personnel on standby.
Despite the day’s unrest, no formal demonstration materialised from the AL as initially announced. On Saturday, a verified AL Facebook post had urged supporters to attend a protest at Zero Point to voice opposition to what it termed “misrule” and “fundamentalist forces.”
Posts continued until Sunday afternoon, rallying AL activists, but by midday, the AL presence was absent from the tense protest zone.
This absence followed an announcement from Shafiqul Alam, press secretary to the Chief Adviser, stating that AL would not be permitted to hold any public demonstrations in Dhaka on 10 November.
He described the party as a “fascist” entity and warned of zero tolerance for any attempts to disrupt law and order.
Additionally, Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuyain, an adviser to the interim government, affirmed that law enforcement would act decisively against any group responsible for past violence if they attempted political gatherings.
Shaheed Noor Hossain Day commemorates the death of Noor Hossain, an AL leader killed during a protest against military rule on 10 November 1987.
While AL initially sought to honour this day through demonstrations, they ultimately deferred to the high-stakes political landscape that unfolded, opting instead for more contained and separated processions.
