New power dynamics transform the face of occupations and extortion

While the ruling party has changed, the situation for small traders remains the same, says a local vendor

The recent power shift in Bangladesh has led to a significant transformation in the political landscape.

In Dhaka's Tejgaon commercial area, Dhaka District Awami League’s new office is about 100 yards from where the Bangladesh Nationalist Party and its youth wing Jubo Dal once had their offices in Ward No. 24.

When the Awami League office was built, a wide sidewalk was also constructed. Though the BNP and its affiliated groups left their offices there long before the AL office opened in 2023, a temporary food stall remained.

After the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government on Aug 5, efforts to restore the BNP offices began promptly, with a new office for the party and its affiliates established on the sidewalk.

New banners now hang on makeshift structures, declaring "Ward 24 BNP and Affiliated Organisations." This resurgence mirrors a broader trend across the country, where BNP activists are reclaiming offices and establishing control in areas previously dominated by the Awami League.

The power shift has also introduced new actors into the scene of extortion. During the transitional period, marked by a weakened presence of law enforcers and government oversight, these activities have escalated.

Some BNP supporters have even taken over responsibilities such as garbage collection, roles that were previously managed by Awami League activists.

In response to these developments, Home Affairs Advisor M Sakhawat Hussain issued a stern warning.

Speaking to journalists on Sunday, he said: “You may occupy markets, take over docks, and engage in extortion for a few days, but I’ve instructed the army chief to break your legs. I don’t care; you can go to hell.”

Despite these warnings, the situation on the ground appears largely unchanged, with reports of ongoing occupations and extortion emerging from various areas.

A leader of the Tejgaon Thana unit of the Awami League's volunteer wing said their leader, Abul Kalam Azad Khoka, had his office vandalised and looted by activists from the BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami, the party that opposed Bangladesh’s independence in 1971 Liberation War.

“The attackers also seized two shops and two rickshaws.

“BNP activists have taken over Awami League offices and businesses in Tejgaon. This includes Khokon’s hotel, Zakir’s hotel, and a shop owned by Titu in Colony Bazaar.”

‘TAKEOVER AND EXTORTION’: BNP REPLACES AL

After government’s fall, the political landscape has shifted dramatically.

BNP activists have celebrated with victory marches and sweet distributions in local areas.

Attacks on AL offices and leaders' homes have surged nationwide.

The Bangabandhu Memorial Museum on Dhaka's Dhanmondi 32 was set on fire, and statues of the leader have been vandalised.

As top AL leaders fled the country and grassroots activists went into hiding, BNP supporters have not only taken over administrative roles but also seized control of the ground-level operations.

Despite the formation of a new interim government after the Awami League's exit, some locals, like a vegetable seller in Farmgate, claim that conditions remain unchanged.

“Previously, Awami League members collected daily extortion; now, BNP members are doing the same or threatening to,” he said.

Hanif Mohammad, a scrap dealer from a burnt-out slum in Kallyanpur, said after the government's fall, a BNP leader's brother, Ripon, who was known by a single name, took over about 30-40 homes and shops, displacing several people.

He said some of those displaced have been resettled by BNP leader Khalek’s son, Saju, although some offices and homes of AL supporters remain under BNP control.

SA Siddique Saju, a BNP candidate from the Mirpur-Darussalam area, told bdnews24.com that the party has been actively addressing such incidents by sending out teams, distributing leaflets, and organising rallies to curb the violence.

In places like Karwan Bazar, a major wholesale market in Dhaka, the change in power has not ended the practice of extortion but has simply replaced the collectors.

A vegetable vendor in Farmgate said while the ruling party has changed, the situation for small traders remains the same.

"Previously, Awami League members collected daily tolls; now it's the BNP who are demanding or threatening to take over," he said.

In Karwan Bazar, several groups now roam the area armed, collecting tolls from trucks delivering vegetables at night.

These groups also decide who can operate in the area, demanding weekly or monthly payments.

In other parts of the city, BNP activists have taken over offices previously held by AL leaders.

For instance, in Mohammadpur’s Shia Mosque area, the BNP has divided a former Chhatra League office among their student, youth, and volunteer wings.

In Old Dhaka, the office of Ward No. 27 councillor and AL leader Omar Bin Aziz Tamim was taken over by a group of people who vandalised it on the afternoon of Aug 5.

The next day, a banner was hung on the office declaring it as "Hosni Dalan’s Private Property."

When asked about the incident, Tamim told bdnews24.com: "The office has been taken over, but I am not in a position to say who is responsible at this moment. I will speak on this later."

BNP’S STANCE

BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi said the party is taking stringent measures against those involved in occupations and extortion.

He told bdnews24.com: “The fallen autocrats and their allies are spreading false claims to discredit the student and public movement. They are accusing the BNP and protesters of the occupations to shift the blame from their actions.”

"Our party's position is clear—if any of our activists are involved in such activities, strict action will be taken. You can see in the media that we are swiftly dealing with any accusations. There will be no leniency in this matter," Rizvi added.

NEW FACES IN WASTE COLLECTION

With the change in power, there has been a shift in the waste collection management of Dhaka.

After key leaders of the AL and its affiliated organisations went into hiding, BNP activists have taken over the task of collecting waste from households across the city’s wards.

In some wards, the jobs that were previously occupied illegally have been reclaimed by the appointed contracting firms.

The initial phase of waste management in Dhaka is handled by the Primary Waste Collection Service Providers or PWCSP.

These firms collect household waste from various homes using vans and transport it to secondary transfer stations.

From there, the waste is taken to landfills by trucks.

In the 54 wards of Dhaka North City Corporation, or DNCC, about 300 companies manage waste collection.

In DSCC, one company is assigned to each ward for waste collection, and these companies further divide the areas among multiple individuals.

PWCSP companies charge a fixed amount for waste collection from each household, ranging from 100 to 150 taka depending on the area.

Previously, local AL leaders controlled this sector, collecting over Tk 1 billion monthly.

The waste collection license for Ward 28, Agargaon of DNCC, was held by a company named A to Z Media and Social Service Centre.

But Ward Councillor Md Forkan Hossain had controlled it until Aug 5.

Forkan has left the area, and the responsibility for waste collection has now been taken over by the company’s owner Md Nazmul Haque Panna.

Nazmul told bdnews24.com on Tuesday, “The license was in my name, but Forkan had held it for the past four and a half years. I filed complaints in many places, but no remedy was found. After the 5th of August, I have taken control of my share.”

In various areas of Dhaka's Mohakhali, waste collected from homes is brought to the STS next to T&T College.

On Tuesday, it was reported by waste collectors that the previous controllers were no longer present, and new people had arrived.

Rashidul Hasan, a three-wheeler driver told bdnews24.com that he and three other drivers used to work under a person named Sanowar. The drivers were paid Tk 12,000.

Since Aug 5, Sanowar has been absconding. BNP members have taken over.

“He was a BNP leader but worked with Awami League leaders. That’s why he fled. Now, BNP members are trying to control things. Today [Tuesday], I was told to collect and hand over the bills to them,” he added.

In Dhaka South City Corporation, or DSCC, wards, waste collection tasks are also no longer under AL activists’ control.

An Awami League activist, who holds a waste removal license for a DSCC ward, told bdnews24.com on Tuesday that waste collection work is awarded through tender every July.

He took the job for Tk 1.2 million. Later he gave the task of collecting the waste of the whole ward to five more people.

He has been out of the area since Aug 5, and local BNP activists have taken control.

“When one group is dealt with, another group comes in and demands money. If you don't pay, they use violence. Last Sunday, they fractured our manager's skull for not paying. I am already in trouble and on the run," said the AL activist.

Meanwhile, in the areas of Jatrabari, Sayedabad, Kadamtali, Dholaipar, and Rasulpur in the capital, a group has become active in taking over the waste collection responsibilities from households.

Identifying themselves with BNP politics, these individuals have set deadlines for current handlers to hand over their responsibilities.

To avoid criticism in local politics, they are also holding meetings with current handlers repeatedly.

The current handlers had previously taken their jobs through negotiations with elected ward commissioners during the AL government.

Ward commissioners typically control these operations, appointing party-affiliated individuals of their choice.

Following the change in power, the elected commissioners in these areas have also gone into hiding.

[Writing in English by Arshi Fatiha Quazi and Fariha Bristy]