Janice R. Andrews
Bangladesh is now experiencing a significant political upheaval due to President Mohammed Shahabuddin’s abrupt announcement of the dissolution of parliament and the establishment of an interim administration. This choice was made in the hours following Sheikh Hasina’s resignation as prime minister on Monday and her escape to India. Following a turbulent day of violent student protests that resulted in the overthrow of Hasina’s 15-year government, the news was made during a live speech.
Around 300 people were murdered during the disturbance wave, which was sparked by a number of contentious topics, such as the debatable public job quota system. On Monday, the protests reached a turning point that profoundly altered the political climate of the nation. Dissolving the parliament was President Shahabuddin’s decision following an important meeting with opposition party leaders. The release of former prime minister Khaleda Zia, a prominent member of the opposition and the head of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), who had been imprisoned in 2018 on graft allegations, was decided upon unanimously during the meeting.
An important turning point in the continuing political turmoil is Zia’s release. Since 2022, she has been under home arrest after being released on humanitarian grounds because of health issues. Amidst the political upheaval, the opposition leaders also decided to free all inmates who had been imprisoned during the anti-discrimination student movement, which further suggested a trend towards reconciliation.
The Bangladeshi army declared on Tuesday morning that the curfew for the night will be lifted, but the atmosphere in the country is still volatile. The army issued a statement emphasizing the need for composure and urging the students who were demonstrating to desist from using further force. Army Chief Waker-Uz-Zamanhe urged people to have faith in the military’s capacity to restore order while assuring them that justice will be done for the crimes and deaths.
In a statement, Ashif Mahmud and Nahid Islam, the leaders of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, insisted that the temporary administration be given authority. They said that people who commit acts of violence will be held accountable and rejected any other suggestions. In addition, all political prisoners and those falsely detained during the protests were to be released, according to the statement.
After Hasina resigned, demonstrators in Dhaka set fire to Awami League buildings, escalating the violence. At the core of the demonstrations against the job quota system, Dhaka University, large crowds of protesters gathered, chanting anti-Hasina chants. Following her departure, thousands of demonstrators gathered at the prime minister’s official house in Dhaka, the Ganabhaban. Internet footage showing demonstrators pillaging goods, swimming in the home pool, and smoking in parliament members’ rooms represented the collapse of state power.
The disturbance was not subdued by the government’s prior capitulation to student demands, which included changing the employment quota system. further than 200 people had already died as a result of the original protests in mid-July, and over the weekend, further violent skirmishes occurred, significantly exacerbating the situation. During these altercations, an estimated 100 more people, including 14 police officers, lost their lives.
With Sheikh Hasina’s resignation, an important chapter in Bangladeshi politics has come to a close. She has been a divisive figure, vilified by opponents and international rights organizations for her authoritarian inclinations and hailed by admirers as a champion of democracy. Her political career is distinguished by her survival of the military coup in 1975, which resulted in the deaths of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, her father, and the majority of her family. Hasina had a pivotal role in the 1980s anti-military rallies as the head of the Awami League party, which she founded while living in exile.
The Awami League won many elections under her direction; her most recent tenure started during the tumultuous general elections of 2024 that were dogged by accusations of electoral fraud. Her legacy has been eclipsed by the present situation, though, since the nation’s political destiny is currently unclear. Although the establishment of a provisional administration and the liberation of political prisoners are perceived as measures toward achieving stability, Bangladesh must yet overcome several obstacles in order to successfully manage this unparalleled political predicament.
