AL has also been ousted from public trust

Banglapress Published: 23 September 2025, 10:26 AM

AL has also been ousted from public trust

Bangla Press Desk: Badruddin Umar, the prominent writer and leftist intellectual who passed away on Sunday at the age of 94, in his written testimony as a witness against the ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina said that Awami League has also been ousted from the public trust. “The 2024 mass uprising not only ousted the Awami League (AL) from power, but also from the public trust. This mass uprising sealed Awami League’s ultimate political fate like Muslim League. AL may carry out some subversive activities with India’s help, but their re-emergence as a national political party is impossible,” he said in the testimony submitted to the investigation team of the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT). Badruddin Umar is an important witness against Hasina in the case of crimes against humanity committed during the 2024 mass uprising. Before his death, he had submitted the written testimony to the investigating officer (IO) of the case. The testimony was released after his death. The trial for Hasina and two of her aides-- former home minister Asaduzzman Khan Kamal and former inspector general of police (IGP) Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun-- is in its final stage at the ICT as the tribunal has already recorded testimonies of 36 witnesses till now. However, Badruddin Umar had not yet testified before the tribunal.

The tribunal may accept his written statement as evidence during trial. However, the ICT prosecution has not yet decided whether it will submit a formal request to the tribunal to accept Badruddin Umar’s investigative statement as admissible evidence during the trial. In his written testimony, Badruddin Umar described the 2024 mass uprising as the most explosive and most transformative in the history of Bangladesh. The mass uprising was not only exceptional for Bangladesh but for the entire Indian subcontinent. Neither India nor Pakistan had ever seen such a powerful or widespread movement. He said, the Language Movement in 1952 secured recognition for Bangla as a state language, the 1969 protests toppled military ruler Ayub Khan, and the 1990 uprising removed another military strongman Ershad, paving the way for an elected government in Bangladesh. But, none of those movements culminated in such a total collapse of authority or such wholesale flight of governments or political parties. “In 2024, Sheikh Hasina was forced to leave the country. Her ministers and AL leaders also fled. Such a sweeping party collapse, panic and mass concealment have never occurred in Bangladesh’s history. Not even in Syria or elsewhere did a ruling party disintegrate so completely after a dictator’s fall,” he said.

The demised historian wrote about his personal experiences with the Awami League both before and after independence, while also reflecting on the events of the student-led mass movement that ended the Hasina regime’s 15-year rule. Pointing to the toppling of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s statues and murals by common people immediately after his daughter Hasina fled, Badruddin Umar said, “No one gave an order, yet it happened. This was a kind of revenge of nature, a spontaneous eruption of long-suppressed anger.” Highlighting the role of students, he said that students have led before, but it is rare to see the organisational discipline, courage and sacrifice they have shown in 2024. He accused Hasina of committing all kinds of crimes during her rule. He described Hasina’s deep ties with Indian intelligence agency RAW, which he said allowed her to hold on to power and, ultimately, flee to India. “Staying there will itself be a punishment, where she will burn in anguish,” he said.

Hasina stayed in power by manipulating elections from 2009 to 2024, controlling every state institution from the Election Commission (EC) to the police and bureaucracy. Badruddin Umar alleged that Awami League lawmakers, ministers and leaders had little role in the 1971 Liberation War itself, saying it was fought mainly by students and the children of farmers and workers. While Mujib was pro-India, he was not operating under Indian instruction, he said, adding that “Hasina’s system was entirely built to India’s design. Thus banning the Awami League is not a matter of political principle but of national security." Badruddin Umar accused Hasina of abolishing the caretaker government in order to manipulate elections, having realised she could not win a free contest. In 1996, she protested and forged a movement for a caretaker government system. She had no sense of ethics or moral shame. When she came to power in 2009, she overthrew the caretaker government because she understood that if there were fair elections, they would not be able to win the next time. So, to win the elections, she would have to bring everything under her control. “She controlled the administration in two ways -- by offering bribes, money and opportunities, and by threats and intimidation,” he said, adding that by 2009 this control was firmly established, enabling manipulated polls in 2014, 2018 and 2024.

“In 2014, voters were not allowed into polling centres. In 2018, ‘night voting’ took place the night before polling day. In 2024, the same happened,” he wrote, noting that despite winning these elections, she had no real popular support. Hasina has not only rigged the elections, but also brutally suppressed political opponents. Torture has also been used to prevent any political party from moving effectively. Many people have been arrested and detained for years without any reason. Torture cells called ‘Aynaghor’ have been created - which did not exist even during Sheikh Mujib's reign. Sheikh Mujib used to kill his opponents directly; Sheikh Hasina not only killed, but also tortured them and took a kind of perverted pleasure in it, he added. This article was originally published on Daily Sun.

[Bangla Press is a global platform for free thought. It provides impartial news, analysis, and commentary for independent-minded individuals. Our goal is to bring about positive change, which is more important today than ever before.]

AL has also been ousted from public trust

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