On Monday, 5th of August, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned and left the nation after 15 years in power. Her resignation followed weeks of anti-government unrest that resulted in deaths of more than 300 people.
Thousands of Bangladeshi demonstrators invaded Sheikh Hasina’s official residence, Ganabhaban, in Dhaka, when reports surfaced that Hasina and her sister, Sheikh Rehana, had left for a “safe shelter”. General Waker-Uz-Zaman, Bangladesh’s army chief, announced the formation of an interim government. He promised to withdraw the troops and investigate the crackdown on student protesters.
A raft of violent protesters, carrying flags and celebrating in jubilation, with some even dancing atop tanks, breached the gates of Sheikh Hasina’s official residence after she left the country amid ongoing protests.
As Bangladesh is witnessing a massive political upheaval, let’s take a look at the chronology of the events, the many phases of ‘student protests’ that were about political games and led to Sheikh Hasina’s resignation.
The turmoil in Bangladesh started in early 2024, and centered on a contentious quota system for government posts. The Court’s decision to keep a sizable proportion of jobs for specific groups, notably descendants of freedom fighters and women, prompted great outrage among university students.
It all started over decision of the High Court to reinstate 30% reservation in government jobs to the descendants of the freedom fighters of the 1971 Liberation War. What started as peaceful protests soon took a violent turn.
The first phase of protests in Bangladesh
In the first phase of the protests, it was reported that over 32 people died while nearly 1000 were injured as the country was grappling with high inflation, dwindling foreign reserves, and rising unemployment. On the 18th of July, the anti-quota protesters set fire to the headquarters of the state broadcaster Bangladesh Television (BTV) in Dhaka. The police had to fire rubber bullets and use other non-lethal weapons to quell the protests by the students, causing more deaths and injuries.
Notably, until 2018, 56% of government posts in Bangladesh were reserved for certain groups. These groups included people with disabilities (1%), indigenous communities (5%), women (10%), people from underdeveloped districts (10%), and families of freedom fighters from the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War (30%).
With this arrangement in force, there were only 44% of seats open to merit-based selection. In 2018, student groups staged large-scale protests, forcing the Sheikh Hasina-led government to scrap the entire quota system.
In June of this year, the High Court of Bangladesh overruled the government’s decision, this triggered further demonstrations by student groups.
The Supreme Court’s Appellate Division upheld the High Court’s decision on the 4th of July triggering widespread protests. After Sheikh Hasina’s appeal, the Bangladeshi apex court directed all petitioners to maintain the status quo till the 7th of August 2024.
The second phase of protests
During the second phase of the nationwide protests, it was reported that over 150 people were injured and two people had died. This came just two weeks after the country’s Supreme Court reduced the percentage of reserved government jobs from 56% to 7%. Initially, the anti-quota protestors sought revocation of reservation for families of freedom fighters, however, they then renewed their demands and sought “justice” for the 200 odd-people who were killed during the initial phase of violent protests and immediate release of detained protestors.
In Dhaka, Khulna, Sylhet, Narsingdi, Chattogram and Noakhali after Jumma Namaz, numerous incidents of violence were reported. The protestors set a police box on fire at the Wasa intersection in Chattogram after Jumma Namaz. The protestors resorted to pelting stones and hurling brickbats. The law enforcement authorities responded with lathi-charge, rubber bullets, firearms, stun grenades and teargas. Several protestors who sustained rubber bullet injuries were admitted to hospitals.
On 18th July, PM Hasina called in the army to manage the escalating protests and violence.
In an attempt to quell the protest, the authorities suspended all internet services, including broadband, banned all Meta platforms, including Facebook, WhatsApp, Messenger, and Instagram, and announced a three-day vacation.
The third phase of protests in Bangladesh
Amidst the violence and anarchy, the protestors demanded the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. By 4th August, over 100 people had died in the clashes between the Awami League supporters and the protestors. The deceased included 14 police personnel. In the wake of the violence in Bangladesh, the Interior Ministry declared a nationwide curfew to try and control the law and order. The government also declared a holiday between 5th and 7th August to pacify the situation.
As Asif Mahmud, heading the ‘Student Movements Against Discrimination’ appealed to protestors to march in Dhaka on the 5th of August, a massive number of people arrived in Dhaka. The protesters started their “Long March to Dhaka” with one sole aim to oust Sheikh Hasina from power.
Jamat-e-Islami, BNP and the escalation of violent protests
While protests turned violent as conflicts between protestors and police became frequent, the violence worsened when the Jamaat-e-Islami (JeI) and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) started to magnify the protests, using them to undermine the ruling Awami League government. The inclusion of these opposition parties intensified the severity of the protests, as their supporters joined the fray.
The impact of JeI and BNP on the uprising is not hidden. Both parties saw the protests as an unmissable strategic opportunity to undermine Hasina’s government. They allegedly offered logistical support and mobilised their bases, resulting in larger and more organised protests. Their involvement transformed a student-led demonstration into a larger anti-government campaign. Notably, the BNP has been at the forefront of a vicious anti-India “India Out” campaign calling for the boycott of Indian goods. As PM, Sheikh Hasina had strongly opposed the BNP’s anti-India propaganda.
In an attempt to placate the fury, Bangladesh’s Supreme Court delivered a crucial decision, annulling the quota ruling. However, the judicial intervention proved insufficient to solve this issue. The protestors, now supported by the JeI and BNP, continued their rallies, seeking larger reforms and accusing the Hasina government of corruption and ‘dictatorship’.
Sheikh Hasina’s resignation and the end of an era
On Monday, August 5, Sheikh Hasina resigned from the post of Prime Minister ending her 15 years in power. She left for New Delhi in a military chopper after resigning. Ironically, Sheikh Hasina who once saved Bangladesh from military rule was compelled to resign after the country’s army gave her just 45 minutes to resign and leave.
Soon after, countless violent protesters, carrying flags and celebrating in jubilation, with some even dancing atop tanks, breached the gates of Hasina’s official residence after she fled the country amid ongoing protests.
Back in 1975, rebel military troops assassinated Sheikh Hasina’s father, Prime Minister Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, along with her mother and three brothers. Six years after living in exile, Hasina returned to take over her father’s Awami League party, kicking off a decade-long struggle that witnessed her forced into extended periods of house arrests.
In 1990, Hasina allied with Khaleda Zia’s Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) to overthrow military dictator Hussain Muhammad Ershad. However, the two parties soon had differences and the resulting antagonism has shaped Bangladeshi politics ever since. So much so, that even in the current anti-quota unrest the opposing BNP played a crucial role in bringing Hasina down.
Hasina was elected prime minister for the first time in 1996, but she was defeated five years later by Zia. In 2007, the two were imprisoned on corruption accusations. However, a year later, they were allowed to contest elections as the corruption charges against them were dropped. Sheikh Hasina won a landslide mandate triumphing in 263 seats out of 300. Since then, Hasina has been in power, however, her rule ended on the 5th of August 2024.
Amidst the political chaos, Bangladesh’s Army Chief Waker-uz-Zaman announced that he would help in the formation of the ‘interim government.’ In a televised address, he said that Sheikh Hasina has left Bangladesh and that the army was taking charge. He added that leaders from various political denominations including the Awami League and the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) would be consulted during the formation of the interim government.
Notably, Sheikh Hasina has for the last few months been alleging that the United States is attempting regime change in Bangladesh via the opposing BNP and Jamat-e-Islami. Last year, the US had also extended support to the Islamist Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and its ally Jamaat-e-Islami during its protests against the PM Hasina-led government. As OpIndia reported earlier, Hasina had also hinted at the US attempt to carve out a separate Christian nation comprising large parts of Sagaing Division and the Chin state of Myanmar, the Indian state of Mizoram, and Kuki-inhabited areas of Manipur, and the Bandarban district and adjoining areas of Bangladesh’s Chittagong division.
While carving out a Christian nation remains a distant dream (if there is some truth to these claims), the US dream of ousting Sheikh Hasina from power has become a reality with or without its ‘intervention’.
