What thoughts would be crossing the mind of Sheikh Hasina, who fled to India and is living in hiding, as she watches the developments in her country? Would the scenes of violence justify her claim that all she was trying to do, as a prime minister, was to contain these violent elements? Or would Sheikh Hasina be doing some introspection and wondering if only had she accepted the demands of the students seven days ago, if only had she not sent her Awami League thugs onto the streets to maim and kill students and protesters? If only she had offered to resign then!
If only… If only…! But Sheikh Hasina has lost that opportunity and is doomed. Dictators are not known for their ability to introspect and repent.
What would she be thinking when she learns about economist Muhammad Yunus taking oath as the head of the caretaker government? The youth of the country have persuaded Yunus to assume the leadership whom she tried every possible trick to keep in jail.
When she watches the statue of her father, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the founder of Bangladesh, being demolished would she curse her country’s people for their ingratitude? Or, will she be able to think that the memory of her father is now fully shadowed by her crimes? Sheikh Hasina did injustice to Sheikh Mujibur Rahman by making him her property, the property of only Awami League, by making only herself his heir and by distancing the rest of the country from him. Mujibur Rahman had become a symbol of Sheikh Hasina. His statues and memorials had to pay for the crimes of his daughter and his party.
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Illustration: Md Saidul Islam/Flickr CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 DEED
Will she be able to think that when she abused her critics and opponents by calling them ‘Razakars’, she gave dignity to that word? “We are Razakar? Who says? Dictator!” Will she ever be able to get this slogan out of her head? Will it keep ringing in her mind reminding her of the blunder she committed by discrediting the democratic movement, by abusing the students?
Irrespective of what she thinks, violence in Bangladesh has not stopped even after Sheikh Hasina vacated the chair and fled the country. The violence before August 5 was against the protesters, the violence after that has been against the people associated with the Awami League and the government. Every symbol associated with the previous government is being targeted. People are shocked to see the scenes of the demolition of Sheikh Mujib-ur-Rahman’s statue and his memorials.
But more horrific than that is the killing of ordinary people. Dozens of people have been killed. A hotel was burnt, and 24 guests were killed in that fire. Violence is taking place all over the country. It is reported that many temples, houses of Hindus and other minorities, and shops are also being targeted.
‘The Students Against Discrimination’ which has been leading the movement has condemned this violence. The head of Jamaat-e-Islami has also appealed to stop the violence. Many Muslim leaders are speaking against the violence. After coming out of jail, former prime minister Khaleda Zia has also appealed to stop the violence. Various civil organisations are speaking against this violence. But the violence continues.
Also read: The Young of Bangladesh, Don’t let Your Movement Be Ruined
It is obvious that these appeals will have no effect on those who are committing this violence. Some people will give the reason for this violence by saying that it is an expression of public anger against the violence of Sheikh Hasina’s government. That does not explain it fully. Bangladesh’s ‘Transparency International’ has rightly said in its statement that people from every section of society were involved in the movement against dictatorship, Muslims, Hindus, everyone was a part of it. People from every profession were part of it. The government tried to suppress that movement through violence. Hundreds of people were killed and injured. Thousands were put in jail. But this does not justify the violence that has been going on since August 5, in which more than 100 people have been killed. Dozens of Hindu religious places have been destroyed.
Some people are saying that the anger is mainly against the people associated with the Awami League. After all, it was not only the police who tried to suppress the anti-dictatorship movement, people from the Awami League, and its student and youth organisations were also involved in violence against the protesters. The anger against the people associated with the Awami League is very natural. Both Hindus and Muslims are the targets. This argument does not explain the violence correctly. The students’ movement was against dictatorship, against violence. The violence after the removal of the dictator Sheikh Hasina is against the objectives of the movement itself.
Violence will not stop with appeals. It can only be stopped by force and the fear of punishment from the state. It is true that there is no government right now, but it is the duty of the army to control the violent mob. If it is giving the mob an opportunity to express its ‘anger’, then it will have to take responsibility for this violence.
Yet, because of this violence, it would be wrong to say that the mass movement against Sheikh Hasina was actually being run by Islamists and anti-India people. It would be dishonest to say that the movement was not for democracy but for the establishment of an Islamic state in Bangladesh. Anyone who knows Bangladesh knows that the youth and students of this country, and they belong to different generations, do not tolerate dictatorship and military rule. From 1952 to 1971 and even after that, students have always brought democracy back to the country. If you look at this history of resistance in Bangladesh, it might surprise you that Sheikh Haseena managed to continue for 15 long years.
Standing up against Sheikh Hasina’s dictatorship was no joke. Her critics paid with their lives, and many disappeared. You could not speak against her. Even if you lived abroad, your anti-government stance could bring misery to your family in the country. Students faced bullets and hundreds were killed. That cannot be denied. Also, the fact that after Sheikh Hasina fled the country, they openly accepted the fact of violence, did not try to justify it by calling it a reaction to an action, recovered and deposited the weapons looted in the attack on parliament, protected temples and houses of Hindus.
It is because of the students that the army has not been able to take over this revolution till now. Mohammad Yunus became the head of the interim government at their request. To take away the credit of this movement from the students and call it the result of some conspiracy is something only a devilish mind can produce.
Many people in India, while sympathising with Sheikh Hasina, say that under her leadership the country had achieved huge economic progress. She had kept the country secular. But people do not live merely an economic life. The real human life is a democratic life. You cannot take my freedom by giving me only bread. Sheikh Hasina was doing the same for 15 years. She had made elections a joke. The youth who were on the streets today had never exercised their right to vote. Those whom Sheikh Hasina did not allow to come to the election booth were finally on the streets.
Nowadays, it has become very difficult to understand this simple fact in a country like India: that people can love democracy and freedom more than their lives. That is why many Indians are calling the freedom-loving students of Bangladesh crazy.
Students can force dictators to kneel. They can create a path for democracy. But how the journey will be after that is for the rest of the society to decide. Tanvir Haider Khan, a banker and businessman, has rightly written in the Dhaka Tribune that when the army chief was asked whom he would call for talks, why did he take the name of ‘Jamaat-e-Islami’ twice, a party which has been rejected by the public in all the previous elections! His question is also justified as to why the army has not shown promptness in establishing law and order.
It is right, as Mohammad Yunus has said, that restoring order in the country will be the first priority. The rebellion against Sheikh Hasina can reach its logical conclusion only when the country listens to the students: this movement is a movement to create a society in which there will be no discrimination of any kind. No one will be discriminated against, not for her political belief or religious belief. We hope that the people of Bangladesh are listening to their students.
