Dhaka: Fresh turmoil rocked Bangladesh on Tuesday after former president and Awami League leader Mohammad Abdul Hamid fled to Thailand, despite a close watch on his movements. According to reports, Hamid left home in a lungi in the wee hours of Tuesday and boarded a Thai Airways flight from the Dhaka airport at 3 am.
After the interim government in Bangladesh realised that Hamid had fled the country, it suspended and transferred officials, while ordering a high-level probe. Hamid was among those charged with murder and other crimes along with former prime minister Sk Hasina who was forced to flee the country on August 5, 2024.
Hamid’s move comes a day after an official notification by the interim government in Dhaka, banning the Awami League under new ‘anti-terror’ laws. Bangladesh’s election commission has also deregistered the Awami League, barring it from contesting the general elections that are likely to be held later this year or in early 2026.
The Awami League was formed in 1949 and fought for the liberation of Bangladesh, which was then East Pakistan. It was in 1971 that Bangladesh became an independent nation. The banning of the Awami League will not go down well with India.
Hamid was a member of the Awami League’s student wing Chhatra League before becoming an MP of the party. He was president for two terms between 2013 and 2023, when Hasina was the prime minister. The 81-year-old is an accused in a murder case registered at the Kishoreganj Sadar police station.
While Hamid’s family has claimed that he left the country with his brother and brother-in-law for treatment, authorities do not believe this. The interim government is under tremendous pressure with the Students Against Discrimination (SAD) giving it 24 hours to take punitive action against those who helped Hamid escape.
SAD is the organisation that launched a movement against the Hasina government in 2024 that finally led to her ouster.
