Calm has returned to Bangladesh after 20 days of unprecedented turmoil, but the nation remains on edge. On Saturday, media reports confirmed the tragic loss of 209 lives during the chaos. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina revealed that 3,800 vehicles, 29 trains, and eight river launches were set ablaze, with agitators using gunpowder in some cases. The newly inaugurated ultra-modern Japanese-built Dhaka metro railway system and the headquarters of Bangladesh TV, both in Dhaka, were also seriously damaged.

“The people of Bangladesh witnessed terrible scenes like the infernal devastation committed by Pakistani occupation forces in 1971,” Hasina said. “The rampage was carried out to undermine the country’s achievements,” she charged.

However, students, civil society groups, the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), and the radical Islamist Jamaat-i-Islami squarely blamed Hasina for the mayhem. They accused her of showing insensitivity towards students’ anxiety about job opportunities under the restrictive quota system.

The student movement against the 30% reservation for freedom fighters’ families in civil service jobs was peaceful from July 5 to 17. However, the government’s refusal to meet with agitating students to discuss an alternative rational system of quotas and its insistence on awaiting a future Supreme Court verdict set the stage for the intensification of the agitation.

At this point, the agitation was hijacked by a congeries of anti-government groups, including the opposition BNP, the radical Islamic Jamaat-i-Islami, and a large number of thugs who jump into the fray whenever a riot is triggered. A peaceful protest quickly turned into violent agitation, with violence answered by violence.

Restoration of Peace and Continued Tensions

Peace has been restored with the induction of army patrols. However, Sheikh Hasina has not let her belligerence flag. Blaming forces opposed to the 1971 war of independence, she declared that searches would be conducted in “every nook and corner” of the country to bring the perpetrators of violence to justice. Over 3,000 people have been arrested, some even picked up from hospital beds. Even a disabled boy was taken into custody.

On its part, the opposition BNP has called for a “national movement to topple the government and liberate the country.” BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Alamgir issued a statement on Friday calling for the unity of all democratic political parties, social and cultural organizations, and individuals to force the restoration of “looted democracy and voting rights.”

These references point to Sheikh Hasina’s controversial election victories without the major opposition party, the BNP, participating. Given the ruling Awami League’s alleged election rigging, the BNP has been insisting on a neutral Caretaker Government to conduct parliamentary elections. But Sheikh Hasina has consistently rejected this demand, leading to a BNP boycott. Indications are that a variety of extraneous issues will be raked up by the opposition to fight Sheikh Hasina. On July 1, BNP Secretary General Alamgir said that the signing of Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with India by Sheikh Hasina would make Bangladesh “dependent on India.”

“The most dangerous instrument among them is giving a rail corridor to India which will be of no use to Bangladesh,” he stated. Alamgir further said that all Left and Right political parties, the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, and other religious and Islamic political parties and organizations should unite under the leadership of the BNP. This is a danger signal for Bangladesh and neighboring India as Sheikh Hasina had kept the Islamic radicals under check, albeit by harsh methods.

Alamgir demanded the unconditional release of former Prime Minister and BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia (79), who has been receiving treatment at a hospital. He claimed Khaleda was sentenced in false and fabricated cases to remove her from politics and to eliminate “nationalist” forces. “Democracy and Khaleda Zia are identical and inseparable. If we can free Khaleda Zia, we’ll be able to restore democracy,” Alamgir said.

Bangladeshi commentators have appealed for an end to the bickering that has become the order of the day. They stress the need to review the country’s course over the last decade and a half and come to a consensus on how to rescue the country from its current abyss.

To give credit where it is due, after Sheikh Hasina became Prime Minister in 2009, Bangladesh rose from being a “basket case” to being hailed as the “new Asian tiger.” However, as she approaches her 14th year in office in 2024, Bangladesh faces a foreign exchange crisis, heavy international debt, and mass alienation of citizens due to her autocratic ways.

Commentators point to systemic flaws in Bangladesh’s polity and economy and urge their removal. The Hasina regime is based on the brutal suppression of political freedoms, crippling of the main opposition party, the BNP, dragooning of the media, and badgering of civil society into submission.

The economy has been allowed to fall into the hands of corrupt crony capitalists who made a fortune by breaking laws and stashing their earnings abroad. This has exacerbated the economic woes of the country, leading to widespread discontent among the population.

Civil Society’s Demand for Accountability

Thirty-one social and cultural organizations held a rally at the National Press Club in Dhaka on July 26. Speakers expressed that the government seemed to care only about the damage to installations and not for the injuries and deaths inflicted on people. They demanded the restoration of the people’s right to expression and access to information. The Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (BELA) chief executive Syeda Rizwana Hasan demanded an investigation under UN supervision.

Dhaka University teacher Samin Lutfa stated, “If we can’t create a democratic system today, we will never be able to get out of the grip of dictators.” Filmmaker Mostofa Sarwar Farooki wrote on Facebook, “Those who imagine that the movement is just about jobs are delusional. Just listen carefully to the slogans. You will see that this movement is for equal dignity for all citizens. It is to bring a halt to living like third-class citizens in one’s own country. It is to remind those in state power that they are not the owners of the country; the people are the real owners.”

The student stir was but the tip of an iceberg. There are signs of it snowballing into a broad-based movement against Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. The grievances extend beyond job reservations to encompass issues of democracy, human rights, economic mismanagement, and national sovereignty.

As Bangladesh navigates this tumultuous period, the path forward remains uncertain. The government’s approach to addressing the underlying causes of discontent will be crucial. Will Sheikh Hasina engage in meaningful dialogue with opposition and civil society, or will she continue to employ authoritarian measures to maintain control?

The potential for a broad-based movement against Hasina underscores the urgency of addressing these multifaceted issues. The coming months will be critical in determining whether Bangladesh can find a path towards reconciliation and reform or if it will descend further into political and social unrest.

The recent turmoil in Bangladesh has exposed deep-seated issues within the country’s political and economic systems. While calm has been temporarily restored, the underlying discontent continues to simmer. The future of Bangladesh hangs in the balance, with the potential for a broad-based movement against Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina looming large. The actions taken by the government, opposition, and civil society in the coming months will shape the trajectory of the nation for years to come.