Bangladesh, the populous South Asian nation that emerged from a bloody war of independence just over 50 years ago, now finds itself engulfed in yet another struggle – this time between an increasingly authoritarian government and its own citizens demanding reform, justice and democracy. What began as student protests over an unfair government job quota system has escalated into a full-scale national crisis, marked by unprecedented state violence and the spectre of complete breakdown of civil society.
For over 10 days now, students and youth across the country have poured into the streets to demonstrate against the quota policy, which reserves a significant proportion of government jobs for the children of so-called “freedom fighters” from the 1971 independence war. The protestors argue this system is unjust, shuts out deserving candidates, and amounts to discrimination. But rather than engage with these grievances, the government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has responded with a brutality rarely seen in the country’s tumultuous history.
Security forces have unleashed a horrific campaign of violence against peaceful protestors. More than 150 people, mostly students, are reported to have been killed, with hundreds more injured, many from targeted shots by police snipers. Tear gas and stun grenades have been dropped from helicopters into crowds. Vigilante groups aligned with the ruling Awami League party have attacked protesters with impunity. There are even reports of police dragging bodies off the streets to hide the true death toll.
Meanwhile, the government has shut down Internet access across the country and severely restricted mobile networks in a desperate attempt to hide its crimes from the world. Journalists have been targeted, international media stymied. But the snippets of information trickling out paint a picture of a nation on the brink of collapse, with a government at war against its own people.
The protestors, though battered and bruised, have not been cowed. An underground press release lists their demands: an apology from the prime minister for the killings, the resignation of top ministers, justice for those murdered and compensation for the injured, a ban on the student wing of the ruling party, and assurances of no further reprisals against demonstrators. The fact that they are forced to use such clandestine means to publicize these basic demands for accountability speaks to the repressive conditions they face.
Prime Minister Hasina, sadly, appears unlikely to accede. Apologies and admissions of wrongdoing have never been her strong suit, even as allegations of rigged elections, rampant corruption and human rights abuses have piled up over the years. Her government clings to the fiction of Bangladesh as a democracy, but its actions over the past days have laid bare the authoritarian reality.
The grim truth is that Bangladesh has travelled a long way down the road to autocracy under Hasina’s rule. The Awami League, once at the vanguard of the fight for democracy and freedom, has mutated into a vehicle for repression and enrichment of a privileged few. The “freedom fighters” of yesteryear have become the oppressors of today, deploying the same tools of violence and coercion as the Pakistani army they fought to expel five decades ago.
The current protests, and the government’s vicious response, must be seen in this broader context of democratic backsliding and the steady erosion of civil liberties. The quota issue was but the spark; the tinder was the simmering anger of a populace chafing under misrule. Hasina underestimated the frustrations of the youth, long taken for granted as a pliant vote bank. Now she stares down not just crowds of students, but the possible unravelling of her increasingly tenuous hold on power.
Bangladesh stands at a crossroads, its future as a pluralist democracy hanging in the balance. The world must not look away in this pivotal moment. The international community, and especially regional powers like India which have long indulged Hasina’s excesses, need to apply urgent pressure on her government to end the violence, restore civil liberties and initiate a genuine dialogue with the opposition and civil society.
For their part, the protestors must stand firm on their demands for accountability, but also remain disciplined in the face of provocations. Their courage in confronting the might of the state has been inspiring; they must not let it be tarnished by acts of retaliatory violence or destruction of public property, which the government will seize upon to discredit them. The path forward is through peaceful resistance and civic activism.
Ultimately, the quota reform movement is about much more than a few thousand government jobs. It is a microcosm of the broader struggle for the soul of Bangladesh – between the forces of democracy and those of authoritarianism, between the rule of law and the law of the jungle. The students on the streets are fighting not just for their own futures, but for the very idea of a free, just and inclusive society.
Their struggle is still largely isolated from global attention, smothered by media blackouts and the geopolitical inconsequence of Bangladesh. But it matters, deeply, to the 160 million Bangladeshis whose rights and aspirations are being brutally suppressed. It matters to anyone who believes that people everywhere deserve to live freely and shape their own destinies.
As bullets fly and blood flows in the streets of Dhaka, Chittagong and elsewhere, the world must stand in solidarity with these brave young men and women on the frontlines of the battle for Bangladesh’s democratic future. We must amplify their voices, demand accountability for the abuses being perpetrated against them, and support their right to protest without fear of deadly retribution.
Bangladesh emerged as an independent nation amid terrible bloodshed and trauma. Its people have repeatedly risen to fight off the spectre of tyranny, from the Language Movement of 1952 to the pro-democracy struggles of the 80s and 90s. Today, a new generation has picked up that torch, demanding nothing more than good governance, basic freedoms and a fair shot at opportunity.
Their cry for reform has been met with a hail of bullets, but they march on unbowed. In their courage and conviction lie the best hopes for Bangladesh’s tomorrow. The global community must not fail them in this fateful hour. The very future of democracy in the country hangs in the balance.