Last update:October 23, 2024, 11:17 p.m. IST

The Yunus-led caretaker government has accused the Chhatra League of “murder, persecution, torture… and many other activities that threaten public security.”

The caretaker government of Muhammad Yunus declared the Chhatra League banned under anti-terrorism laws. (IMAGE: AFP)

Bangladesh on Thursday banned the student wing of ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s party, citing its involvement in violent attacks on protests that toppled the autocratic leader.

Hasina fled the country in August as thousands marched towards her official residence, ending a 15-year tenure marked by widespread human rights abuses.

The student wing of his party, the Awami League, has been accused of maintaining his rule with an iron fist, which has led to mass detentions and extrajudicial executions of his political opponents.

A government statement accuses the party’s youth wing, known as the Chhatra League, of being involved in “killings, persecutions, torture… and many other activities that threaten public security.”

The statement added that the student group was banned under anti-terrorism laws.

Initially peaceful protests that began in July against the Hasina government turned violent when Chhatra League activists attacked student protesters on university campuses.

The attempt by pro-government cadres to suppress the protests instead stoked public anger, culminating in Hasina’s ouster a few weeks later.

More than 700 people were killed in the ensuing unrest, according to official estimates – most in clashes between police and anti-Hasina protesters.

A Bangladeshi court this month issued an arrest warrant for the exiled leader, who fled to neighboring India on the day of her overthrow.

Dozens of Hasina’s allies were arrested after the fall of her regime, accused of being guilty of police repression.

Former ministers and other senior Awami League officials have been arrested, and his government appointees have been barred from the courts and the central bank.

Hasina, however, has not been seen in public since fleeing the country by helicopter.

The 77-year-old’s last official location is a military air base near the Indian capital, New Delhi.

Her presence in India – her government’s biggest benefactor – enraged the interim Bangladesh administration that replaced her.

Dhaka revoked her diplomatic passport and the two countries concluded a bilateral extradition treaty that would facilitate her return to face criminal trial.

A clause in the treaty, however, specifies that extradition could be refused if the offense is of a “political character”.

Hasina was replaced by Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus, who was sworn in to lead an interim administration days after her departure.

The 84-year-old microfinance pioneer’s interim administration faces what he calls the “extremely difficult” challenge of restoring democratic institutions.

Yunus said he inherited a “completely broken” system of public administration and justice that requires a complete overhaul to prevent a future return to autocracy.

(This article has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed – AFP)

Location :

Dhaka, Bangladesh