AA Edit | Bangladesh On The Boil Again
Given his record in office as chief adviser after being dropped back in Bangladesh as a faux ruler, Muhammad Yunus has been prone to giving into demands from the student community that brought about a change in government much like the military coups had done earlier in a country known too well for its restiveness and clashes against authority
Bangladesh is on the boil — again. Demonstrations against India over a couple of days this week turned into stark violence in attacks on media houses, Indian missions and homes of diplomatic personnel, an office of the Awami League and an attack by vandals of what is left of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s home that had been targeted in earlier riots and even bulldozed by authorities in February.
The death of student leader Sharif Osman Hadi, who had been a prominent figure in the July 2024 attacks that had led to Sheikh Hasina fleeing the country, was a flash point in the escalation of violence in the current round. With the elections scheduled for February 12, the country is in for further protests at the symbols of India and members of the minority Hindus in the country.
Given his record in office as chief adviser after being dropped back in Bangladesh as a faux ruler, Muhammad Yunus has been prone to giving into demands from the student community that brought about a change in government much like the military coups had done earlier in a country known too well for its restiveness and clashes against authority.
It is going to be a challenge for the police and security forces to bring back normalcy to the country as potentially tense polls are in the offing with huge questions hanging over whether Sheikh Hasina’s party is allowed to participate. Given the fact that the main opposition party, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party led by former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, had boycotted the polls held when she was heading the country in 2023, it appears unlikely that the 2026 poll will be fair and open.
The student community has been thirsting for a taste of official power and the Inquilab Mancha of Hadi, who died in Singapore when he was sent there by air ambulance after being shot in the head on December 12, was on its way to becoming a major player. With anti-India sentiment peaking in the wake of Sheikh Hasina’s continued stay in her Indian haven providing the spark, the students would have to be careful that the situation does not lead to the polls being put off.
A democratically elected government might be the key to exerting a measure of control over disparate elements that aim at running a country now increasingly becoming known for its corruption, communal violence and poor governance.