By: Prof. Dr. Mohammad Tariqur Rahman
A mighty brutal power of Awami League (AL) was knocked out by the massive resistance of thousands of people marching towards Ganabhaban – the residence of the ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina – amidst the curfew. The nation paid a high price to achieve that freedom from the enduring brutal AL regime. More than 100 civilians including 13 police personnel were killed on 4 August 2024. A forced resignation came a day after, on 5 August 2024. The actual death toll since the rise of the anti-discrimination movement on 15 July 2024 perhaps will remain unknown. An anti-discrimination movement led by the students initially targeted for govt service quota reformation evolved into a one-point demand – the resignation of Sheikh Hasina and her government.
The movement got momentum and turned into a massive uprising of people from all sects of society – who demanded justice and stop the killing of innocent civilians including children. The remarkable gathering of mass people on 3rd August 2024 at the Central Monument (Shaheed Minar) at Dhaka University premise – a tribute to the martyrs of the Language Movement in 1952 – surpassed the vigor and volume of any other mass movement in the history of the nation. After the last round of brutal crackdown on 4th August, student coordinators of the anti-discrimination movement called for a long march to siege Ganabhaban. That ended in the forced resignation of Sheikh Hasina – who has evolved from one of the most influential women leaders to the leader of the most fascist government in the history of the nation. She will be remembered more as a murderer Sheikh Hasina than as a Prime Minister or daughter of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
This was in the month of August 1975, when Sheikh Hasina’s father, mother, and many other family members were killed in their residence. In August 1975, the nation celebrated the killing of the Sheikh family. And, now in August 2024 the nation is celebrating the fall of Sheikh Hasina – well known for her arrogance, lies, denial, pride, and above all greed for power. Hasina boastfully used to claim “This is my country, my father made it independent …” A clear denial of millions of mass people who fought for independence and many of them died in the war.
Now she knows, this is not her country – she is just one of 170 million Bangladeshi citizens and her father was not more than a leader of the nation during the period of independence war. The message is clear for those who will helm the “throne” hereafter. No one is invincible or inevitable, and the country belongs to none but the citizens. What is next for those who will steer the wheel and for those who will follow the journey to build a crippled nation. A nation where corruption, politicization of government institutions including judiciary and law-enforcement agencies, and money laundering by the AL leaders and their allies became a norm.
The proposed interim Government vowed to bring back peace to the nation. An immediate release of Begum Khaleda Zia – Chairperson of the main opposition, and those who are in prison due to politically motivated or false accusations are also part of the deal. The Army Chief requested the nation to calm down and promised to ensure justice for those who were responsible for killing civilians during the anti-discrimination movement. The composition of the interim government, the mechanism to fulfill the promises to the nation, and finally the responses of the masses will determine how far is peace for the nation. Meanwhile, vandalism; setting fires on houses of AL leaders, minority groups, and AL offices; and attacking police personnel have erupted overnight. This indeed is counterproductive to the &’bloody’ achievement – the second independence – as the nation contemplates it.
It will not be easy to identify the actual perpetrators – whether it was politically ignited or simply because of the enduring anger and frustrations of the mass people. However, if the situation continues, undoubtedly the nation will suffer a set-back with an image of being fundamental militants. Sajeeb Wazed, son of Sheikh Hasina, has already made that claim in an interview with India-based media. The situation is volatile with the difference in expectation for the composition of the interim Government mainly between the coordinators of the anti-discrimination movement and the individual including the Army Chief holding authority. Expectations of the political parties and that of the student coordinators are not synchronized in toto.
The coordinators of the anti-discrimination movement clearly demanded a total reformation of governance. They demanded rooting out the corruption, politicization of the government organizations, release of all the student and public prisoners arrested during their movement, and justice for those responsible for the killings of innocent civilians during the movement. To them ousting Sheikh Hasina is just the first step. Will these challenges delay the relish of the fruits and flavors of the second independence? Indeed, it will depend on how the interim Government is formed and how fast those who are responsible for forming the interim government react.
The author is the Associate Dean (Continuing Education), Faculty of Dentistry, and Associate Member, UM LEAD, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
