HASINA FLEES, NOBEL LAUREATE STEPS IN 

Saro Thiruppathy reports on what unfolded in Bangladesh after its high court reinstated job quotas for descendants of war heroes

Bangladesh has been embroiled in turmoil since 5 June as riots rocked the country after its high court ordered the reinstatement of the job quota system for descendants of those who fought the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War of Independence from Pakistan.

Founding father of Bangladesh Sheikh Mujibur Rahman introduced this system in 1972 to honour the nation’s freedom fighters. But over the years, it came to be considered as being illegal by many and was terminated in 2018 by his daughter Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wazed’s government in response to massive public protests.

QUOTA SYSTEM Under this allocation, 44 percent of first and second-class government jobs are merit based, and the balance 56 percent is reserved for specific groups such as the children and grandchildren of freedom fighters (30%), women (10%), backward districts (10%), ethnic minorities (5%) and disabled people (1%).

On the day of the high court ruling, students from the University of Dhaka took to the streets, and blocked major intersections and the police precinct in Shahbagh, which is a popular area in the city.

They were protesting against the quota system and demanding that the 30 percent allocation of government jobs for children and grandchildren of freedom fighters be abolished. However, they were in favour of reserving jobs for members of ethnic minorities and people with disabilities.

Protesters explained that their objection was not against the quota system as such, and instead wanted a revision that lowered the allocations for all groups with the exception of a few.

BRUTE FORCE Regrettably, Hasina’s Awami League led government decided to respond to the student demands by deploying the riot police. This was the beginning of a slippery slope for her regime as police fired tear gas and baton charged unarmed youth.

Into this melee came the pro-government student Bangladesh Chhatra League (BSL), which then proceeded to beat up the protesters.

Injured students were not safe from the BSL even in the Dhaka Medical College and Hospital (DMCH) because its members entered the premises and attacked protesters who were receiving treatment there.

In addition to the brutal response to the protests, leaders of the ruling Awami League tried to portray the youth as being anti-national and against Hasina because she called them ‘Razakars’ – the term is considered extremely offensive in Bangladesh and refers to those who betrayed the country by collaborating with Pakistan in 1971.

Throwing fuel onto this fire, Hasina asked journalists why the protesting students were so inimical towards freedom fighters. She then questioned whether the grandchildren of Razakars should be the ones who benefit from the quota system rather than descendants of those who fought for Bangladesh.

Hasina’s irresponsible statements provided the justification that the BSL needed to attack its fellow students. And its president Saddam Hossein noted that those who behaved like Razakars had no place in Bangladesh and must face the consequences of their actions.

In spite of the government ordered curfew and countrywide internet blackout meanwhile, several state websites – including those of the central bank, prime minister’s office and police – were hacked by a group calling itself ‘THE R3SISTANC3.’

The message on Hasina’s official website read: ‘Stop killing students. It’s not a protest anymore. It’s a war now!”

HASINA FLEES Eventually, Sheikh Hasina resigned from the post of prime minister and fled to India on 5 August, ending 20 years of governance. She inherited the party from her father, who (together with many of his family members) was assassinated in 1975 in a military coup.

A day earlier, Chief of Army Staff General Waker-uz-Zaman directed his officers not to fire at protesting civilians if they broke curfew. This was a red flag for Hasina as it could have been the harbinger of yet another military coup.

According to mainstream media, the death toll stood at around 440 on 8 August.

THE AFTERMATH Then on 6 August, Bangladesh released the chair of the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Begum Khaleda Zia from house arrest. She had been found guilty of corruption and sentenced to 17 years in prison.

That same day, President Mohammed Shahabuddin dissolved parliament toclear the path for fresh elections. The students were very clear that they wanted to see a civilian government installed rather than a military junta.

Meanwhile, Bangladeshi youth also demanded that Nobel Laureate Dr. Muhammad Yunus should head an interim government until elections are held. And on 8 August, he returned to Bangladesh to lead his country until it goes to the polls.

Yunus received the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize for his work in alleviating poverty through microfinance and the Grameen Bank he had founded.

Bangladesh, which experienced and survived a devastating second ‘liberation war,’ is now seeking a stable future that’s equitable to all.