Rumors have emerged regarding the arrest of Obaidul Quader, former Minister of Road Transport and Bridges and General Secretary of the Awami League. These speculations have been gaining traction since Tuesday evening, though law enforcement agencies have yet to confirm the accuracy of this information.
Masud Alam, Superintendent of Police in Jessore, commented to Dhaka Times, “We have received numerous inquiries about Obaidul Quader’s alleged arrest. I am currently in communication with various agencies to verify the situation. However, we have not yet confirmed any details.”
Following the fall of Sheikh Hasina’s government on August 5 amid widespread protests, many senior leaders of the Awami League, including cabinet members, went into hiding. Obaidul Quader was reportedly among those in hiding. It is during this period that rumors of his arrest began to surface.
On the same evening, police confirmed the arrests of former Law Minister Anisul Huq and Sheikh Hasina’s former Adviser on Private Sector Industry and Investment, Salman F. Rahman.
Obaidul Quader, who served as the Awami League’s General Secretary for three consecutive terms, was frequently in the public eye for his controversial political statements, such as “Khela Hobe” and “Antore Jwala.”
On July 15, in response to student protests demanding quota reforms, Obaidul Quader remarked that the Bangladesh Chhatra League alone was sufficient to manage the situation. Following his statement, Chhatra League members reportedly attacked protesting students in several locations, including the Dhaka University area. Female students were also targeted in these assaults, and the resulting images of injured students spread rapidly across social media and news outlets, sparking nationwide outrage. The Chhatra League, along with Obaidul Quader, faced widespread criticism, which only intensified the student movement.
In an effort to suppress the protests, the government reportedly ordered police to open fire indiscriminately. According to official sources, at least 150 students and civilians were killed by police gunfire between July 16 and 18, though media reports suggest the death toll may exceed 200.
In an attempt to restore order, the government imposed a curfew. On August 2, during a press conference at the Awami League president Sheikh Hasina’s political office, Obaidul Quader denied the allegations, stating, “No order was given to shoot on sight. At no point were law enforcement agencies instructed to fire upon protesters.” This statement came in response to earlier media reports claiming that police had been ordered to shoot on sight.
Obaidul Quader was first elected as the Awami League’s General Secretary for the 2016-2019 term during the party’s 20th National Conference on October 23, 2016. He was re-elected for consecutive terms at the 21st conference in December 2019 and the 22nd conference in 2022, marking a historic achievement as the first individual to hold this position for three consecutive terms in the Awami League’s history.
After the Awami League’s victory in the December 29, 2008, general election, Obaidul Quader was elected to represent the Noakhali-5 constituency in the Ninth Parliament. He has since been re-elected from the same constituency three more times. His political career began in earnest when he was first elected as a Member of Parliament in the Seventh National Parliament election in June 1996.
Obaidul Quader has a long history of political activism, having been actively involved in the Six-Point Movement in 1966, the 1969 mass uprising, and the student-led 11-point movement. During the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971, he served as the commander of the Mujib Bahini’s Companyganj Thana unit. Following the assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in 1975, Quader was imprisoned for five years. While in prison, he was elected President of the Bangladesh Chhatra League (1977-81) and served two terms in this role while pursuing his studies at Dhaka University.
