Over the past few years, a number of leaders and activists of Awami League and its affiliate organisations have been accused of raping and assaulting women and minor girls, tarnishing the ruling party’s image. In Bhola, Bangladesh Chhatra League’s district unit General Secretary Riaz Mahmud raped a ninth-grader several months ago, after promising to marry her. On March 26, Patuakhali’s Rangabali upazila Awami League unit General Secretary Enamul Islam Litu and several others tried to rape the general secretary of Jubo Mahila League’s ward-5 unit in the upazila. However, Ahmed Hossain, one of the organising secretaries of Awami League, blatantly claimed: “Such allegations against our supporters are rootless and biased. No Awami League men were involved with any kind of rape or assault on women.

Source: Dhaka Tribune September 26, 2017 08:35 UTC