The Interim Government has officially banned Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL), the student wing of the Bangladesh Awami League, under the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2009. A gazette notification issued today by the Public Security Division of the Ministry of Home Affairs, signed by Senior Secretary Dr. Mohammad Abdul Momen, confirmed the decision.
According to the notification, the ban takes immediate effect and was enforced under Section 18 (1) of the Anti-Terrorism Act, listing BCL as a prohibited organization under the act’s second schedule.
The government cited numerous incidents of BCL members disrupting public security since the country’s independence. The notification highlighted that, during the 15-year rule of the Awami League, BCL leaders and activists were implicated in crimes including murder, torture, sexual harassment, and tender manipulation, which had been widely reported in the media and proven in court.
It also noted the violent actions of BCL members during the Anti-Discrimination Students Movement in mid-July 2024, which resulted in numerous deaths and widespread harm. The government stated that it has substantial evidence of the BCL’s involvement in conspiratorial and subversive activities against the state since the fall of the Awami League government on August 5, 2024.
