A group led by a leader of the National Citizen Party (NCP) has seized the office of the Awami League's Chattogram North District branch after carrying out vandalism.

The occupation took place on Tuesday afternoon at the office located in the Dost Building near New Market in the city.

Arif Mainuddin, Joint Coordinator of the NCP's Chattogram City Committee and former Convener of the Anti-Discrimination Students' Movement in the city, led this takeover. He was accompanied by former coordinators and activists of the Anti-Discrimination Students' Movement.

A video of the seizure of the Awami League's Chattogram North District party office has gone viral on social media platform Facebook. The footage shows a group of young men vandalizing a mural of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on the front wall of the office. Arif Mainuddin, along with leaders from the NCP and the Anti-Discrimination Students' Movement, can be seen in the video.

The Dost Building in Chattogram city houses offices of various political and social organizations, including the BNP, BASAD, and the Mass Uprising Movement, besides the Awami League. Following the fall of the Awami League government in last year's student-people's uprising on August 5, the office was vandalized once before and had remained locked since then.

However, Arif Mainuddin, the Joint Coordinator of the NCP's Chattogram City Committee, claims that Awami League leaders and activists were holding meetings in the office under the cover of night. He stated, "Activities of the Awami League were ongoing in the building. At night, leaders and activists of the Awami League would hold meetings there. Upon receiving this information, we went to the spot today (Tuesday). We then questioned the security guard about who comes here at night. The security guard denied anyone visiting at night. After that, we broke the lock and entered the office. Inside, we found various pieces of evidence. For this reason, we have locked the office and will monitor the building's activities for the next two days."

Arif Mainuddin further added, "This building is abandoned property. After 1971, the Biharis abandoned it. Besides the Awami League, it houses offices of the BNP and many other parties."

As of Tuesday night, the Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Kotwali Police Station in the city, Abdul Karim, informed that no complaints had been received regarding the seizure of the Awami League's party office. He stated that they are investigating the matter.