Dhaka on Edge as AL Calls Nationwide ‘Lockdown’

Law enforcement agencies, including police, the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), and the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), were on high alert across key points of Dhaka on Thursday as the Awami League (AL) called a countrywide ‘lockdown’.

Movement of people and vehicles—especially private transport—was noticeably thinner than usual amid growing public anxiety over safety. However, most businesses and educational institutions remained open, continuing regular operations under tight security.

Supporters of the BNP, Jamaat-e-Islami, and their allied parties took up positions at several locations in Dhaka to counter any attempt by AL activists to enforce the programme. They also brought out processions protesting the ‘lockdown’ call, which coincided with the International Crimes Tribunal-1 (ICT-1) announcement of a date to deliver its judgment in a high-profile case against ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina and others accused of crimes against humanity during last year’s July–August mass uprising.

In recent days, several incidents of arson and crude bomb blasts have been reported in different parts of the country, including Dhaka, heightening fears of renewed unrest.

To maintain order, the government deployed 12 platoons of BGB in Dhaka and two more in nearby districts.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Commissioner Sheikh Md Sajjat Ali told reporters on Wednesday that the force was fully prepared to prevent any act of sabotage related to the lockdown.

The tribunal set November 13 to announce the judgment date after both prosecution and defence concluded their closing arguments before the three-member panel headed by Justice Md Golam Mortuza Majumder.

Sheikh Hasina fled to India on August 5, 2024, amid the mass uprising that toppled her government.

A total of 54 witnesses testified in the case, including relatives of victims—such as the father of martyr Abu Sayed—and key figures like Nahid Islam, Convener of the National Citizen Party (NCP), and Dr Mahmudur Rahman, editor of Amar Desh.

According to the charges, the then Awami League government, along with party leaders, loyal administrators, and members of law enforcement agencies, committed crimes against humanity to suppress the student-led July–August uprising.

The tribunal indicted Sheikh Hasina, former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, and former IGP Abdullah Al-Mamun on July 10, formally opening the trial. Al-Mamun later turned state witness, providing detailed testimony about the incidents.

In addition to this case, Sheikh Hasina faces two other trials before the International Crimes Tribunal—one concerning enforced disappearances and killings during her 15 and a half years in power, and another over the 2013 Hefazat-e-Islam rally killings at Dhaka’s Shapla Chattar.