Programs were observed across the country to mark the 80th birthday of Awami League President and former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Various events took place in Khulna and Keraniganj on Monday (September 28). In Chattogram, police detained seven individuals—including three women—during a cake-cutting and food distribution event. Reports also emerged of a cake-cutting event in Zajira, Shariatpur.

Sheikh Hasina was born on September 28, 1947, in Tungipara, Gopalganj. She is the eldest daughter of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and Bangamata Sheikh Fazilatunnesa.

In Khulna, the District Jubo League organized various programs to celebrate Sheikh Hasina’s birthday. According to reports, these activities included a children’s art competition, prize distribution for winners, food distribution, and cake-cutting. Grassroots-level Jubo League activists and their children participated in the events.

Reports also stated that leaders and activists of the Jagannath University unit of Chhatra League marked the occasion by planting trees, releasing fish fry into a water body, and distributing agricultural gifts to marginalized farmers near the university’s second campus in Keraniganj.

Citing the organizers, reports mentioned that these events were part of the Bangladesh Chhatra League’s program titled “Tomar Opekkhay Bangladesh” (Bangladesh Awaits You). However, the university’s Proctor, Professor Dr. Azam Khan, told the media that he was aware of the matter and stated that such programs would not be permitted within the campus area.

In Chattogram city, police detained seven people during a raid in the Oxygen Shitaljharna Residential Area under Bayezid Bostami Police Station while they were cutting a cake and distributing food to mark Sheikh Hasina’s birthday. The incident occurred on the night of September 27. Three women were among those detained.

According to Md. Ikhtiar Uddin, Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Bayezid Bostami Police Station, the individuals were detained on allegations of involvement in organizing the food distribution and cake-cutting event. Police stated that the process of taking legal action against them is underway. Meanwhile, reports also indicate that a prayer gathering was organized by Awami League leaders and activists in the Panchlaish area of ​​Chattogram city on the same day.

News reports citing local eyewitnesses state that a group of youths gathered in the Jorabridge area of ​​Zajira Upazila, Shariatpur, to cut a cake marking Sheikh Hasina’s birthday. The reports mention that the organizers left the cake behind and departed after the police arrived at the scene; however, the identities of the organizers and any detailed statement from the police regarding the incident remain unclear.

Sheikh Hasina has served as the President of the Bangladesh Awami League since 1981. She assumed the role of Prime Minister for the first time in 1996. Subsequently, she served as the head of government continuously from 2009 to 2024. In total, Sheikh Hasina has served five terms as Prime Minister.

Regarding her education, she passed her secondary examinations from Azimpur Girls’ School in 1965 and her higher secondary examinations from Badrunnesa Government Women’s College in 1967. Later, she obtained a bachelor’s degree from the Department of Bangla at the University of Dhaka in 1973.

Sheikh Hasina became involved in politics during her student days. She served as the Vice-President of the Intermediate Girls’ College Students’ Union and as the General Secretary of the Chhatra League unit at Dhaka University’s Rokeya Hall. Additionally, she played an active role in the anti-Ayub movement and the movement for the Six-Point Demand.

In 1968, Sheikh Hasina married nuclear scientist Dr. M.A. Wazed Miah. She and her younger sister, Sheikh Rehana, survived the events of August 15, 1975—when Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and most of his family members were assassinated—because they were abroad at the time. Later, they sought political asylum in India.

After six years of exile, Sheikh Hasina returned to the country on May 17, 1981. Prior to this, she had been elected President of the Awami League at the party’s conference in February of that same year. She has been leading the party ever since her return.

Alongside politics, Sheikh Hasina is also engaged in writing and the pursuit of literature and culture. It is reported that she has authored and edited more than 30 books. Notable books authored by her include *Sheikh Mujib Amar Pita* (Sheikh Mujib, My Father), *Ora Tokai Keno* (Why Are They Street Children?), *Bangladesh-e Swairatantrer Jonmo* (The Birth of Autocracy in Bangladesh), *Samariktantra Bonam Ganatantra* (Militarism vs. Democracy), and *Amader Chhoto Russell Sona* (Our Little Russell Sona).

During her tenure as Prime Minister, arrangements were often made to cut a cake on her birthday while she was in New York attending the UN General Assembly session; simultaneously, the Awami League would organize various programs back home. Following the change of power on August 5, 2024, Sheikh Hasina has been residing in India. Reports indicate that programs are being observed at various levels by the party and its associate organizations for this year’s birthday as well. However, the detention of seven individuals in Chattogram has also emerged as a significant event associated with the day.