Indian Citizens Condemn Hasina for Bangladesh Violence, Support Struggle for Fundamental Change

New Delhi: As Sheikh Hasina resigned and left Bangladesh on Monday (August 5), a group of Indian citizens, including writers, artists, intellectuals, and activists, strongly condemned the brutal state violence unleashed by her government against its own citizens during the ongoing protests across the country.

The statement expressed deep concern over the recent developments in Bangladesh, where the former Sheikh Hasina government has been accused of hijacking elections and cracking down on peaceful protests.

“We, as fellow South Asians, share a common destiny and the destruction of democracy in any part of it is obviously a matter of concern for all of us,” the statement read.

The group criticised the former Bangladesh government’s actions, saying that the crackdown on protesters was marked by the use of lethal and non-lethal weapons, including shooting from helicopters and snipers. They also condemned the arbitrary arrests and framing of cases against protesters, with over 2,000 people arrested and 61,000 named as accused.

The statement read: As the police intensified their attack, the number of deaths continued to increase. While official reports as of 1 August had put the number of people killed at 209, reports by International Agencies suggest a figure of over 1000, with thousands more injured in a span of 10 days. Among the injured, in Dhaka alone, 500 are reported to have been wounded with pellets in their eyes. What has been most shocking is that shooting from helicopters and snipers from high-rise buildings have been reported, where children playing on the terrace or inside their homes were killed.”

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“Along with a violent crackdown on protesters using lethal and non-lethal weapons that unfolded into one of the worst humanitarian tragedies, the Bangladesh government has also unleashed a reign of terror through arbitrary arrests and framing of cases against protesters. Media reports tell us more than 2,000 people have been arrested and more than 61,000 people have been named as accused in cases,” the statement added.

The group expressed solidarity with the democratic forces in Bangladesh, demanding justice for the victims of the violence, action against responsible police officers, release of all protesters, and quashing of criminal cases against them.

“We join our voices with the democratic forces in Bangladesh in demanding a restoration of democracy,” the statement read. “We extend our support to their struggle for a fundamental change in the mode of governance in Bangladesh.”

The signatories included former JNU professor Zoya Hasan, historian Tanika Sarkar, journalist Pamela Philipose and feminist scholar J. Devika.

Over 100 people were killed and more than a thousand were injured as a fresh wave of violence erupted in Bangladesh on Sunday (August 4), which was the first day of the student-led non-cooperation movement, aimed to mount pressure on Sheikh Hasina to step dow.

On Monday, television footage and social media images revealed scenes of protesters toppling a massive statue of Bangladesh’s founding father, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, who is also the father of Sheikh Hasina. Demonstrators were also seen setting ablaze the Bangabandhu Memorial Museum, the Awami League president’s office, and the party’s district office.

The demonstrations broke out in June against a controversial quota system for public sector recruitment, which the country’s Supreme Court has now all but scrapped. The quota system reserved 30% of government posts for children and grandchildren of freedom fighters, 10% for women and 10% for residents of specific districts. There are also quotas for ethnic minorities and disabled people but the students are not opposing those.

On July 21, the Bangladesh Supreme Court ordered 93% of the government jobs in the country to be allocated on a merit-based system. Under the revised system, 5% of civil service positions will still be reserved for children of war veterans who fought for Bangladesh’s independence in 1971. An additional 2% will be allocated to other designated categories.

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STATEMENT BY INDIAN CITIZENS AGAINST BRUTAL STATE VIOLENCE AND IN SOLIDARITY WITH THE STRUGGLE IN BANGLADESH

We, the undersigned citizens of India, writers, artists, intellectuals and activists, express our deep concern over the recent developments in Bangladesh. As fellow South Asians, we share a common destiny and the destruction of democracy in any part of it is obviously a matter of concern for all of us. The current government that has unleashed massive violence on its own citizens has brazenly hijacked the elections three consecutive times in the last ten years.

The world has been watching in horror the violent crackdown on protesting students and youth in Bangladesh since mid-July. On 15th July, a peaceful protest by students of Dhaka University demanding reform in the quota system was violently attacked by a group of goons said to be from the student wing of the ruling party. The crackdown followed statements by the Awami League general secretary and an important minister that the Chhatra League would teach a lesson to the students, whom the prime minister, Sheikh Hasina had earlier labelled ‘razakars’ – a term used for the collaborators with the Pakistan army during the 1971 Liberation Struggle. Expectedly, the Bangladesh Police, rather than acting against the attackers, started a full-scale crackdown on protesters all across the country from the next day. On 16th July, the police killed Abu Saeed, a student of Begum Rokeya University, as he stood with open arms, without any weapon, in front of the approaching police forces who aimed their guns at the protesters. The murder of Abu Saeed, who posed no threat to the approaching police forces, manifests how the intention behind the crackdown on protesters was not to maintain law and order but to forcefully silence voices of dissent arising from all across Bangladesh.

Since then, what followed in Bangladesh will be documented in history as one of the worst state attacks on its citizens. As the police intensified their attack, the number of deaths continued to increase. While official reports as of 1 August had put the number of people killed at 209, reports by International Agencies suggest a figure of over 1000, with thousands more injured in a span of 10 days. Among the injured, in Dhaka alone, 500 are reported to have been wounded with pellets in their eyes. What has been most shocking is that shooting from helicopters and snipers from high-rise buildings have been reported, where children playing on the terrace or inside their homes were killed.

On 2 August, as the movement returned with even greater strength and people from all walks of life students joined in, firings and further killings have been reported from different parts of the country. The Internet was completely shut down for a week, cutting off news from Bangladesh to the rest of the world. However, this standard tactic of dictatorial regimes has not worked in containing the movement which is now demanding the resignation of the illegitimate government and fresh elections under the supervision of a caretaker government.

Along with a violent crackdown on protesters using lethal and non-lethal weapons that unfolded into one of the worst humanitarian tragedies, the Bangladesh government has also unleashed a reign of terror through arbitrary arrests and framing of cases against protesters. Media reports tell us more than 2,000 people have been arrested and more than 61,000 people have been named as accused in cases.

Bangladesh achieved its liberation in 1971 after millions sacrificed their lives for freedom of the country. We, as citizens of a neighbouring country, have been deeply sympathetic to Bangladesh’s liberation struggle. The citizens of a country that achieved its liberation through such massive sacrifices of lives, have not forgotten the spirit of that struggle. Today, the citizens of Bangladesh want to hold its government accountable for destroying the dream of the liberation struggle. The aspiration of a democratic government, free and fair election, freedom of speech and protest and a promise of a dignified future for the country’s youth is an aspiration for a modern democratic state.

We, members of civil society of India, extend our voice of support to that aspiration of the citizens of Bangladesh. In the interim, the citizens are demanding justice for the victims of the ‘July’ massacre (and later killings), action against responsible police officers, release of all protesters and quashing of criminal cases against protesters. We join our voices with the democratic forces in Bangladesh in demanding a restoration of democracy. We extend our support to their struggle for a fundamental change in the mode of governance in Bangladesh.

Signatories

Aditya Nigam, Independent Academic

Tanika Sarkar, Historian

Atul Sood, Professor, JNU

Rohan D’Souza, Faculty, Kyoto University

Pamela Philipose, Journalist

Nivedita Menon, Professor, JNU

Bishnupriya Dutt, Professor, JNU

Nandini Sundar, Sociologist

Dhananjay, President, JNUSU

Naveen Gaur, Faculty, DU

Zoya Hasan, Former Professor, JNU

Sucheta De, CPIML

G Arunima, Faculty, JNU

Prof Surajit C Mukhopadhyay, Dean, Sister Nivedita University

Arundhati Ghosh, Independent Cultural Practitioner

Shuddhabrata Sengupta, Artist and Writer

Anuradha Chenoy, Former Professor, JNU

J Devika, Feminist Scholar

Ayesha Kidwai, Professor, JNU

Kuntal Ghosh, Associate Professor, ISI

Mary E John, Feminist Scholar

Navsharan SIngh, Activist

Suvankar Chakraborty, Senior Journalist

Anupam Roy, Artist

Laxmi Murthy, Journalist

Satakshi Nandy, Actor

Mohan Rao, Former Professor, JNU

Ravi Sundaram, CSDS, Delhi

Aamir Aziz, Poet

Kavita Srivastava, PUCL

Sandip K. Luis, Art Historian

Sanjeeb Mukherjee, Former Faculty, Calcutta University

Surojit Sen, Writer

Rupleena Bose, Writer

Bishwendu Nanda, Baniya Paramaribo Karu o Bastra Shilpa Sangha

Gaurab Chatterjee, Musician

P. Rohini Rajasekaran, Writer/Artist

Vasudha Thozhur, Artist

Chayanika Shah, Hasrat-e-Zindagi Mamuli, Mumbai

Pradip Datta, Retired Professor

Veda Thozhur Kolleri, Artist

Rupsha Guha, Artist

Suvonkar Banerjee, Senior Editor, DIsney+Hotstar

Anirban Ghoshal, Screen Writer/Film Maker

Sruthi Viswan, Artist

Debmalya Banerjee, Visual Artist

Debapriya Bhatta, Voxxy Media

Inder Salim, Artist

Shapath Das, Art House Film Foundation

Kirity Roy, Banglar Manabadhikar Suraksha Mancha

Satarupa Das, Director, Zindabad Studio

Monalisa Mukherji, Film Maker

Dr. Frazer Mascarenhas, Former Faculty, St. Xavier’s College

Raktim Ghosh, Adhikar Bangla

Shweta Bajaj, Journalist and Documentary Film Maker

Arindam, Arindam Nandy Production

Shal J, Artist

Chhatrapal Ninawe, CImagination

Sidharth Srinivasan, Independent Film Maker

Angana, Actor

Vidya Dinker, President/ INSAF

Nandini Bhattacharyya Panda, Indian Council of Historical Research

Barali, CPB

Nayanika Mookherjee, Durham University, UK