Awami members celebrating Hasina’s birthday under Bangladesh govt lens

Bangladesh ex-PM Sheikh Hasina

DHAKA: The Tarique Rahman govt on Saturday came down heavily on supporters of the Awami League, whose activities are banned, after several hundred party activists were seen in Dhaka's Dhanmondi marking party chief and former PM Sheikh Hasina's birthday with dance, colour-throwing and fireworks.State minister for information and broadcasting YasserKhan Choudhury said any attempt to destabilise the country would be dealt with sternly. "The anarchist Sheikh Hasina is plotting to return to the country in Dec to destabilise it once again. We say: do not wait until Dec -- come right now. Be warned; do not attempt to cause instability. No one will be spared," he said while addressing a rally outside Dhaka.Meanwhile, police on Saturday afternoon raided in Dhaka's Gulistan the central office of the Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JaSaD), where nearly 400 people were present.

Several people were detained.Mohammad Akter Hossain, deputy commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police's media and public relations division, said police launched the operation after receiving information that "Joy Bangla" slogans had been chanted inside the JaSaD office.