Various programs were reportedly held in different parts of the country to mark the 80th birthday of former prime minister and Awami League President Sheikh Hasina. The programs included cake-cutting ceremonies, rallies, prayer gatherings, food distribution, tree planting and the distribution of gifts to farmers. At the same time, various posts, photographs and videos wishing Sheikh Hasina a happy birthday were published on social media, particularly Facebook.
Sheikh Hasina was born on September 28, 1947, in Tungipara, Gopalganj. Her 80th birthday was observed on September 28, 2026.
Various posts wishing Sheikh Hasina a happy birthday were published on Facebook. Former Bangladesh national cricket team captain and former member of parliament Shakib Al Hasan also wished Sheikh Hasina a happy birthday on his verified Facebook page. He expressed his wishes for her good health and well-being.
In addition, photographs and videos of birthday celebrations in different parts of the country circulated on social media. Police reportedly took notice after photographs and videos of a cake-cutting event inside a house in Wazirpur, Barishal, spread on Facebook. Police said they were analysing the videos circulated on social media to identify those who took part.
Events held amid political restrictions, Rally and detentions
A rally was reportedly held in the capital’s Dhanmondi area to mark the birthday. Participants chanted slogans on the occasion of Sheikh Hasina’s birthday, while coloured powder was thrown and fireworks were set off. Police later detained several people.
Reports also said that 15 people were detained or arrested on allegations of gathering at a house in Uttara to cut a cake for the birthday.
Seven people, including three women, were detained in the Bayezid Bostami area of Chattogram on allegations of celebrating Sheikh Hasina’s birthday by cutting a cake. Police claimed that those detained were leaders and activists of the banned Bangladesh Chhatra League. The process of taking legal action against them is under way.
Police reportedly went to a location in Zajira, Shariatpur, after receiving information about a birthday cake-cutting event, but the people present fled. Police later said they recovered an intact cake and five motorcycles from the scene.
Rallies and cake-cutting events were also reportedly held in Gopalganj, Sheikh Hasina’s birthplace, to mark her birthday. Members and leaders of the Awami League and its affiliated organisations were reportedly involved in the local programs.
To mark Sheikh Hasina’s birthday, leaders and activists of the Jagannath University Chhatra League reportedly planted trees, released fish fry into a lake and distributed agricultural gifts among marginal farmers in the university’s second-campus area in Keraniganj.
Banners bearing photographs of Sheikh Hasina, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and several Awami League and Chhatra League leaders were used during the programs.
Secret cake-cutting event in Wazirpur, Barishal
Although no public program was reported in Wazirpur, Barishal, Sheikh Hasina’s birthday was reportedly celebrated by cutting a cake inside a house. Photographs and videos of the event later circulated on Facebook.
Police said they were reviewing the video circulated on social media to identify those who took part and that legal action would be taken.
The programs took place at a time when political activities of the Awami League are subject to restrictions. As a result, law enforcement agencies became active around birthday celebrations in various places, and detentions and arrests were reported in several incidents.
However, the incidents reported from different locations were not identical. In some places, programs were held publicly, while in others, photographs and videos of private or secret gatherings circulated on social media. Therefore, it would not be appropriate to add together the numbers of people detained or arrested in the separate incidents to determine a single total.
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