People know Advocate Abdul Hamid as an amusing person with a cool brain. The lawyer-turned-politician used to make witty and outspokenโbut courteousโremarks, which had been an integral part of his characteristics.
Hailing from the Haor regionโs Mithamoin Upazila of Kishoregonj, Abdul Hamid joined the Bangladesh Chhatra League in 1959. From 1970, he became a member of the parliament seven times till the 2009 elections.
He holds the unique record of serving as the Deputy Speaker and Speaker of the House and the President of the country for two straight terms.
People still recall his hilarious remarks in Parliament as well as the ceremonies he had to attend at public universities as the Chancellor.
Since the end of his term as the president on April 23, 2023, Advocate Abdul Hamid has disappeared from the political sphere and is living his retired life with family members. He often had to see doctors about his lung tumour, kidney diseases, and other old-age complications.
He used to live at his Nikunja residence in Dhaka. He remained out of the scene even when the country saw the prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, quit power on August 5 last year and the marauding mobs running a rampage.
Since then, hundreds of politically motivated murder cases have been filed one after another across the country, targeting the Awami League politicians, supporters and law enforcement officials.
These cases are being filed and accepted by the police as part of a sinister plan of the Jamaat-backed government to keep the Awami League leaders out of politics. In many cases, the plaintiffs are not aware of the deceased and are found to be involved in extorting the accused.
In January, Abdul Hamidโs nameโalong with two othersโcame to the fore after the pro-Yunus quarters started fearing the return of the โrefined Awami Leagueโโimplying that the party would try to set its out-of-jail leaders at the helm to regroup the grassroots and prepare for the next elections.
Soon after, a BNP activist named Tahmul Islam Mazharul from Kishoreganj filed a murder case against 124 people, including Sheikh Hasina and her family members, and mentioned the former presidentโs name as the third accused.
In the case filed on January 14, the plaintiff accused Abdul Hamid of ordering the massacre of protesters. This was the 11th case filed in Kishoreganj.
He, however, was not arrested, and his residence did not come under mob attack, as seen in other cases. He also did not make any public statement regarding the case, and newspapers also did not publish any news item about him.
The chaos begins
On the night of May 7, the former president made headlines after he left the country for Thailand for treatment with his younger son, Barrister Riyad Ahmed Tushar, and his brother-in-law, ANM Naushad Khan, principal of President Abdul Hamid Medical College.
Despite that, his departure triggered protests from Yunusโ Kingโs party, the Jatiya Nagorik Party, as they spread a rumour that Advocate Abdul Hamid had fled the country to escape legal action.
It was later found that he was not facing any arrest warrant, for which the airportโs immigration department did not stop him. Moreover, as a former president, Abdul Hamid enjoyed protocol.
Embarrassed by criticisms, Home Affairs Adviser Lt Gen (Retd) Jahangir Alam Chowdhury, who was one of the masterminds of the 1/11 military takeover, said that he was also shocked by the departure of former President Abdul Hamid. This incident happened without his knowledge.
He vowed to take action against those who facilitated the departure of the former President, adding that if needed, Advocate Abdul Hamid would be brought back to the country through Interpol.
Announcements were made that the interim government withdrew Mohammad Hasan Chowdhury, special superintendent of Kishoreganj police, and Tahsin Arif, additional superintendent of police of the Special Branch’s immigration wing.
Two other police officialsโInvestigation Officer Sub-Inspector Azharul Islam and trainee Sub-Inspector Md Soleiman of the Special Branchโwere suspended.
In a surprising move and as an eyewash, the government also formed a three-member committee of advisers to investigate whether there was any negligence in this regard. They are CR Abrar, Syeda Rizwana Hassan and Brigadier General (Retd) M Sakhawat Hossain.
The majestic return
After a lull for one month, the former president again made the headlines as he approached the immigration department in a wheelchair around 1:45am on Monday.
At that time, he was wearing a maskโpresumably due to the fresh cases of Covid-19โand his favourite lungi and shirt. His photos made rounds on social media and some newspapers also ran stories on his return before he left the airport at 3am without any obstruction.
Asked about Advocate Abdul Hamidโs return, the home adviser said that the police would arrest whoever is found guilty after the investigation. If the suspended officials are not guilty, they will be reinstated in their respective places.
Son urges calm
When the discussion about Abdul Hamid’s departure from the country was at its peak, his son Riyad Ahmed posted a recent photo of his father on social media and wrote an emotional status on Facebook.
He wrote: “For better treatment, the doctors have suggested that my father be taken abroad for treatment. After the end of his term as president, he publicly said that he would not be involved in politics anymore and then did not get involved in politics in any way. Again, where hundreds of people from Bangladesh regularly go to Thailand for treatment, he can also visit Thailand for treatment as an ordinary citizen.”
Riyad Ahmed wrote, “However, this very incident is being presented in such a distorted way that it is unimaginable. Some people have taken the art of fabricating lies to the level of art. If I have lied, may Allah’s curse be upon me. And if those who are spreading lies do not repent to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds, for their deeds, may Allah’s curse be upon all of them.”
Refined Awami League
There is a discussion in politics about a โrefined Awami Leagueโ since most of the top leaders are abroad.
Some of the advisers to the interim government and their student gang leaders have made such suggestive statements at various times. However, there is no such thought within the Awami League. Rather, the party sees such discussions as a conspiracy against them to create divisions.
The names of former President Abdul Hamid, former minister Saber Hossain Chowdhury and former Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chowdhury have come up in the discussion.
However, when someone’s name is mentioned by the interim government or someone close to them, or any statement about the party’s politics is made, the Awami League sees it differently.
Since August 5, the Awami League has also not shuffled any of its committees with those staying inside Bangladesh, as the party leadership believes it would lead to their arrest, or they might be subjected to targeted killings.
So far, several hundred leaders, activists and supporters of the Awami League have been killed, and thousands of others sustained severe injuries in attacks. Houses, business establishments, and land of the Awami League members have also been looted or occupied by the government supporters.
According to police data, over 3,60,000 people, mostly Awami League members, have been arrested in 10 months.
Awami League President Sheikh Hasina, who has been staying in India, recently vowed to bring the July conspirators and the perpetrators of violence to justice.
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