After the Awami League government was ousted from power on August 5, 2024, in the face of student and public protests, the party’s activities were banned in Bangladesh. A large number of leaders and activists fled to India, most of whom are staying in West Bengal. They are conducting political activities by opening a party office inside a commercial building in Kolkata. No party pictures or signboards have been placed there to avoid attention. Small meetings are being held in offices or homes, and large meetings are being held in restaurants or banquet halls.
The Awami League government fell on August 5, 2024, under pressure from student and public movements. Later, the party’s activities were banned in Bangladesh. After being ousted, a large number of leaders and activists left the country and took refuge in India, a large part of whom are staying in various parts of West Bengal.
Despite being banned in Bangladesh, the political activities of the Awami League have not stopped. A report published by the British media outlet BBC Bangla on August 8 mentioned that the party has a political office on the eighth floor of a commercial complex in Kolkata, where leaders and activists regularly come and go. They were once top and middle-level leaders in Bangladesh and held important positions in the Awami League and its affiliated organizations.
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Initially, they held small meetings in their homes or apartments, and rented restaurants or banquet halls for large meetings. However, now they have permanently rented an office, which is called the ‘party office’, but is actually a commercial office space.
They have adopted a different strategy to avoid the attention of the locals. Usually, the Awami League office has pictures of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and Sheikh Hasina, party signboards and banners-festoons. But this office in Kolkata has none of those things—no signboards, no pictures. A party leader said,
‘৩০-৩৫ জনের বৈঠক এই দপ্তরেই হয়ে যায়। তবে একটু চাপাচাপি করে বসতে হয়। ছোটখাটো বৈঠক বিভিন্ন নেতাদের বাসাবাড়িতে এখনও হয়। তবে বড় বৈঠকগুলো, যেখানে শ দুয়েক নেতাকর্মী হাজির হওয়ার কথা, সেরকম বৈঠকের জন্য কোনো ব্যাঙ্কয়েট হল বা কোনো রেস্তরাঁর একটি অংশ ভাড়া নেওয়া হয়।’
Translation: “Meetings of 30-35 people are held in this office. However, they have to be seated a little cramped. Small meetings are still held at the homes of various leaders. However, for large meetings, where a couple of hundred leaders and activists are expected to attend, a banquet hall or part of a restaurant is rented for such meetings.”
Source: Kaler Kantho
