Different political and student organisations, including newly formed National Citizen Party (NCP), staged rallies across the country on Friday, demanding a ban on the Awami League as a political entity.
Protesters burst out after NCP leader Hasnat Abdullah in a Facebook post on Friday claimed that a conspiracy was afoot to rehabilitate the AL in the name of a 'refined Awami League' at the "behest of India".
Hefazat-e-Islam joint secretary general Maulana Mamunul Haque has warned that any attempt to rehabilitate the ousted AL would not be tolerated.
If any attempt is made to establish the AL in the country, it must be done over their dead bodies, he asserted during a rally at the north gate of the national mosque Baitul Mukarram after Friday's Juma prayers.
The rally was aimed at protesting Israeli genocide on Gaza Strip and unprovoked as well as unrestrained aggression against Muslims in India.
Meanwhile, students at Dhaka University (DU), Rajshahi University (RU) and Jagannath University staged protests the same day, demanding a ban on the AL and justice for the victims of the July uprising.
Our DU Correspondent adds: A group of students of Dhaka University declared 'Awami League Prohibition Movement' platform at the base of Raju Sculpture on the campus for the same demand.
They urged the interim government to take steps to ban the AL and its allies.
AB Jobair, convener of the movement, said, "The interim government has no option but to ban Awami League. We, the protestors, who played a vital role in the July movement, are with the government. It can arrange mass voting over the issue. People will give their mandate to ban AL…"
At DU, the Bangladesh Democratic Students' Council (BDSC) and Inquilab Mancha also organised separate protest marches in the afternoon.
According to eyewitness sources, after Juma prayers, a group of BDSC students gathered outside the DU central mosque and started a procession.
They paraded through various parts of the campus, including dormitories, Mall Square, TSC and Shahbagh, before concluding in front of the central library and held a brief rally there.
Addressing the rally, BDSC central member secretary Zahid Ahsan said, "The AL won't be allowed to do politics. Decisions made from an isolated office won't be implemented in Bangladesh."
Nobody would be allowed to engage in politics in Bangladesh using the AL's name or its electoral symbol "boat".
BDSC spokesperson Ashrefa Khatun said, "Attempts are being made to reinstate Awami League through directives from certain quarters. As long as there is a single drop of blood in our veins, we won't allow their return."
BDSC chief organiser Tahmid Al Mudassir Chowdhury also addressed the rally.
Inquilab Mancha also held a procession from the central mosque, marching through Madhur Canteen, Shadow, Surya Sen Hall, VC Square and Raju Sculpture.
The protesters condemned fresh Israeli attacks on the Palestinian Territories.
Inquilab Mancha spokesperson Sharif Osman Bin Hadi warned, "If the government attempts to organise an election with the inclusion of AL, there will be bloodshed in Bangladesh."
"We swear by the blood of more than 2,000 martyrs and thousands of injured people from July that we won't allow the AL to be rehabilitated," he asserted.
At RU, demonstrations began after Juma prayers at the university central mosque. Protesters marched from the main gate to Talaimari roundabout and held a rally.
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