Top Qs
Timeline
Chat
Perspective
Hasnat Abdullah
Bangladeshi politician and activist From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Remove ads
Hasnat Abdullah (Bengali: হাসনাত আব্দুল্লাহ) is a Bangladeshi politician, activist,[1] and former convener of the Students Against Discrimination,[2][3] which led the Student–People's uprising in 2024.[4][5] He has been the Chief Organizer (Southern Region) of the National Citizen Party since 2025.[6]
Remove ads
Activism
Abdullah was one of the coordinators of the Anti-discrimination Students Movement, which led the initial quota reform movement opposing quotas in government jobs and evolved into broader anti-government movement opposing the Hasina government.[7] He, along with Nahid Islam, Asif Mahmud, Sarjis Alam and others gained national recognition in mid-July 2024 when police detained him and several other University of Dhaka students [8] as the protests became violent.[9][10]
In the aftermath, On August 5, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina fled the country after resigning.[11] Following the exile of Hasina, Nahid Islam stated that their goals weren't fully met and that the Anti-discrimination Students Movement aimed to "abolish fascist systems forever".[12]
He and his organisation called on Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus to lead an interim government.[13][14]
Following the mass uprising in July 2024, the National Citizen Party (NCP) was officially launched on February 28, 2025, with Hasnat Abdullah as its Chief Organizer (Southern Region).[6]
On 10 May 2025, Hasnat Abdullah called for a protest to permanently ban the Awami League.[15]
Remove ads
Education and personal life
Abdullah is a graduate of the English department at the University of Dhaka.[16][17] He got married on 12 October 2024.[18][19]
Controversies
Summarize
Perspective
 |
Layoffs at Somoy Television
On 24 December 2024, AFP reported allegations that Abdullah was involved in the dismissal of five Somoy TV staff.[20] City Group chair Mohammad Hasan told BBC Bangla that a 15-member team—including Abdullah—had visited and pressed for specific sackings, a claim Abdullah denies.[20][21] He later called the AFP story “false propaganda” on social media.[22][23]
Comments on the army
A 21 March 2025 Facebook post by Abdullah alleging military interference drew sharp rebuttals from the Bangladesh Army and sparked debate inside and outside the NCP.[24][25][26][27]
Internal party discipline issues
In March–April 2025 the National Citizen Party faced a public rift after Abdullah and fellow coordinator Sarjis Alam posted conflicting accounts of a military meeting on Facebook.[28][29] Army HQ dismissed the claims as “immature,”[30][31] while senior NCP figures warned that unvetted social-media posts were eroding party discipline.[32] On 15 April Abdullah warned critics, “You won’t be able to handle it if I start breaching decorum.”[33][34][35] The party subsequently formed a Discipline and Investigation Committee and tightened social-media rules for office-holders.[36]
Stance on LGBTQ issues
There was backlash to the National Citizen Party including Muntasir Rahman, an openly gay LGBTQ rights advocate, in its central committee. The party did not make an official statement, but Abdullah, chief organizer for the Southern Region, made a post on Facebook highlighting his own religious identity and, without directly addressing Rahman's inclusion, called it an "unintentional mistake".[37] Later, Rahman was excluded from its 217-member convening committee following the objections from Hasnat Abdullah and Sarjis Alam.[38]
References
External links
Wikiwand - on
Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.
Remove ads