On the scorching afternoon of April 29, Bangladeshi actor Siddiqur Rahman Siddique stood at a fuel station in Dhaka’s Bijoy Shoroni area, refuelling his car. Suddenly, a group of youths — members of the Jatiotabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD), the student wing of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) — began chasing him. Siddique fled in his car for nearly five km through the city before being caught at the Baily Road area in the capital.
The group beat him mercilessly, and in a viral video of the assault, Siddique can be seen pleading and crying out in pain and fear – his clothes torn, face bruised, and dignity shattered. “Fascist supporter,” they screamed as they kicked and punched him. And yet, the police stood by watching – silent and indifferent.
The group then handed Siddique over to the police. The television actor was later placed on a seven-day remand by a Dhaka court for attempting to kill a rickshaw-van driver during the student-led mass uprisings of last year, which ultimately led to the fall of Sheikh Hasina’s government after sixteen years in power. Though Siddique was not an office-bearer of the Awami League, he had collected a nomination from the party to contest the Dhaka-17 by-election in 2023.
Shortly after the Siddique episode came the arrest of popular Bangladeshi actor Nusrat Faria at the Dhaka Airport on Sunday. She was later sent to jail by a Dhaka court in connection with an alleged attempted murder case. Faria, who portrayed former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in a biopic, had been abroad during the mass uprising. Her arrest sparked widespread criticism across the country. Amid controversies, the actor was granted bail.
‘Ally of fascism’
Meanwhile, individuals previously aligned with the Awami League — both official party men and mere sympathisers from different vocations — are increasingly being subjected to such treatment. Incidents such as these are becoming more common. In many cases, perpetrators resort to terms such as “fascist collaborator”, “ally of fascism”, or “Awami League enabler” to justify their attacks and extort money.
Shafiul Alam Chowdhury Nadel, organising secretary of the Bangladesh Awami League, told The Hindu, “Under the patronage of the Yunus government, mass terror is being unleashed against leaders and workers at various levels of the Awami League. Besides, the BNP and the Jamaat are also involved in various places.”
“Since the rule of law is completely absent in Bangladesh at present, there is no opportunity to confront all these illegal activities of the Yunus government. Our leaders and activists who are being arrested are not even given the due process of law in the courts”, he added.
With mob attacks on the rise, the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) made a statement on Tuesday urging concerned parties to refrain from taking the law into their own hands. The DMP also warned that any future attempt to create chaos by taking the law into one’s own hands will not be tolerated.
“If any individual deliberately harasses someone without reason or attempts to serve personal interests by violating the law, the matter should be immediately reported to the national emergency service at 999 or the nearest police station”, the statement read.
However, political analysts believe that such mob attacks would only increase in the coming days, given the Mohammad Yunus-led interim government’s official ban on the Awami League and affiliated organisations under the Anti-Terrorism Act on May 12. This was followed by the suspension of party registration by the Election Commission of Bangladesh. The ban encompasses all forms of activities, including any kind of publication, campaign in media, procession, meeting, gathering, conference, etc., potentially giving attackers a perceived justification for future assaults.
Mubashar Hasan, political analyst and post-doctoral fellow at the University of Oslo, told The Hindu that mob attacks happen when a government lacks legitimacy. “People believe whatever they demand will be met, and the government must take responsibility for that,” he said. “I believe this ban might allow such attacks to feel further justified in their actions in the days to come. That said, the phenomenon is not solely tied to the ban — it’s part of a broader Bangladeshi political culture: when a party loses power, its leaders and activists often become targets of violence,” he added.
Nazmul Islam, a political analyst and Head of Türkiye, Asia, and Indo-Pacific Studies at Ankara Yildirim Beyazit University, told The Hindu that “any acts of violence may emerge because of the slow pace of Bangladesh’s judicial process. It is also obvious that individuals from various political factions are attempting to exploit the current situation for their benefit.”
“Mob attacks risk harming the judicial rights of not only members or affiliates of the Awami League but also ordinary citizens with no political or criminal affiliations. Robust commitment to law and justice is essential to ensuring a stable and inclusive political future,” he added.
Not only Awami League activists and sympathisers, but people from law enforcement too are targeted. According to data from the police headquarters, among the 225 attacks on police personnel over eight months from August 2024 to February 2025, 70 were major assaults. Human Rights Support Society (HRSS) also said that at least 119 people were killed and 74 injured in mob attacks since the interim government assumed office on August 8.
Current state of Awami League
After Sheikh Hasina was deposed, most of the Awami League’s top leadership fled the country, with many taking shelter in neighbouring India. Those who could not leave are either in jail or hiding. Sources said that since the fall of the government, at least 27 ministers, five former state ministers, three deputy ministers, and three advisors have been arrested. In addition, 43 former MPs from the Hasina administration are currently behind bars. More than 300 cases have been registered against Sheikh Hasina alone.
The Hindu spoke with several senior Awami League leaders who confirmed that, despite being abroad, they remain in constant communication with party leaders and activists in Bangladesh. They continue to guide grassroots members and see them as a source of hope for staging a political comeback.
Although the government has banned all activities of the Awami League, party leaders still occasionally stage flash processions. Defying the ban, Awami League leaders organised processions in multiple areas of the capital this week. On Sunday afternoon, at least 11 leaders and activists were arrested as they attempted to enter the party’s headquarters on Bangabandhu Avenue in Dhaka.
“We are keeping in touch with leaders and activists across the country. Political programmes are being held on a small scale. We hope that in the future we can organise a large-scale protest rally against the interim government. Since August 5, there has been widespread public discontent against this government due to the economic crisis and insecurity of the people across the country,” said Shafiul Alam Chowdhury Nadel, the organising secretary of the Bangladesh Awami League.
Reactions after the ban
AFM Bahauddin Nasim, Joint Secretary of the party, called the ban on Awami League’s activities a government-staged drama. He said, “How can a party with just a handful of supporters even think of banning the Awami League, the party that led the war of independence? Awami League is the party of millions — it cannot be banned. The people of Bangladesh rejected the ban on Awami League.”
Mr. Nadel said that, “The Yunus-led government has banned the Awami League to prolong his rule. Banning the Awami League is against the constitution and law of Bangladesh. The Yunus government has done this dishonest act to advance the undemocratic process.”
Mr. Hasan told The Hindu that the way the interim government banned the Awami League was wrong. A group of people gathered in front of Jamuna, the residence of the Chief Adviser, as part of a state-sponsored drama, and the government banned the Awami League without even consulting other stakeholders.
Published – May 23, 2025 05:30 am IST
