Last Updated on November 15, 2026 7:47 pm by INDIAN AWAAZ
Zakir Hossain from Dhaka
Supporters of Bangladesh’s activity-banned Awami League brought vandalism and burning barricades to ousted premier Sheikh Hasina’s home district of Gopalganj on Sunday, as the BNP government confronted a senior police officer’s alleged links with the party and a widening garment wage crisis.
Hundreds marched through Gopalganj carrying bamboo poles and other weapons, shouting slogans for Hasina’s return and rallying support for a November 19 nationwide shutdown. Witnesses reported damage to a July uprising memorial, police facilities, university signs and a supermarket. Protesters burned tyres and temporarily blocked roads. Six platoons of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) were deployed.
The demonstration followed Saturday-night attacks on BNP and youth-wing offices in Tungipara, which local ruling-party leaders blamed on Awami League activists. Police said complaints had not yet been filed.
In Chattogram, police arrested Superintendent Jahangir Alam on Saturday night in a sedition case alleging he passed sensitive information to Awami League contacts. The allegations have not been established in court.
On the India border, a BGB commander in Jashore announced rewards for information about attempts by Awami League activists to enter Bangladesh illegally from West Bengal, saying patrols and surveillance had intensified.
The extradition dispute surrounding Hasina, who has lived in India since her 2024 ouster, also resurfaced. The chief prosecutor of Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal said a retrial on the same charges was legally impossible and appeal rights would follow existing law. He was responding to media reports of conditions sought by India; New Delhi has not confirmed them. Hasina denies responsibility for the deadly 2024 crackdown for which she was sentenced to death in absentia.
Meanwhile, 13 garment factories in Gazipur were closed indefinitely and five declared a Sunday holiday. More than 50 facilities in Savar-Ashulia remained shut for various reasons. Workers demanding higher minimum pay briefly obstructed the Dhaka-Tangail highway, while industrial police reported renewed security deployments. Factory owners warned they could invoke ‘no work, no pay’ provisions; wage negotiations resume Monday.
Former interim government adviser Asif Mahmud wrote on Facebook: “If you cannot do it, give me the Home Ministry for two weeks. I’ll fix things.”
The 13th parliament was scheduled to meet Sunday, with garment industry stability, workers’ rights and rising commodity prices on its agenda. Prime Minister Tarique Rahman’s cabinet met earlier in the day.
Separately, health officials reported eight deaths among patients with measles-like symptoms in 24 hours.