THE explosion of at least 14 crude bombs at eight places and the burning of three buses at three places in the capital on November 10 appear to be efforts to destabilise the political situation. Bombs were exploded at places in areas of Agargaon, Dhanmondi, Khilgaon, Mirpur, Mohammadpur and Mouchak. Buses were burnt at Dhanmondi, Merul Badda and Shahjadpur. The bombs were exploded between 3:45am and 6:40pm and the buses were burnt between 5:40am and 7:00pm. The explosion and the burning took place days after the Awami League, which has its activities banned pending the completion of the trial of the atrocities that its leaders committed during the July uprising, had on social media announced a 鈥楧haka lockdown鈥� for November 13. The International Crimes Tribunal is scheduled to post, on November 13, the date for the verdict in a case of crimes against humanity against the party鈥檚 president Sheikh Hasina, who fled the country on August 5, 2024, amidst the uprising that deposed her government. The police have identified a young man, arrested in connection with the explosion of bombs, as an activist of the Chhatra League, the banned student wing of the Awami League.
The Awami League could, as the situation suggests, very well be behind such efforts to destabilise the situation. What the Awami League should realise is that such moves, especially at a time when the atrocities that the Awami League committed during the uprising are still burning like scars on the people鈥檚 minds, would hardly benefit the party and its politics. Such moves of sending Chhatra League activists onto the streets to create chaos would, rather, do a disservice to the party and its politics. The Awami League, which may have issues to talk about in the trial of its leaders, should, rather, seek that the trial proceedings be transparent, following due process of the law, but in an apologetic manner. It should keep off creating chaos and destabilisation. The government, meanwhile, should intensify its efforts to head off any chaos and destabilisation in view of both the day 鈥� November 13, that is 鈥� when the International Crimes Tribunal is set to post the date for the verdict in the case against the Awami League鈥檚 president regarding the July uprising atrocities and the national elections that are said to be held in the first half of February 2026. The government needs to heighten security to avert any disorder.
In what has so far happened, whilst the Awami League leadership should stay off any moves to create chaos by deploying its activists, the government should step up to the plate in dealing with the explosion of bombs and the burning of buses and in heading off the recurrence of such incidents.
