The fantasy of ushering into a ‘new era of democracy’ remained short-lived for Bangladesh as the country descended into complete chaos on all fronts after the takeover of the new interim government led by Muhammad Yunus.
Bangladesh is now faced with intense periods of load-shedding and power outages for upwards of 10-12 hours a day, which has disrupted industrial production and daily life of the citizens.
There is a daily shortfall of 1500 MW of electricity production, which has been worsened by Tk9,500 crore ($800 million) of coal shortage and a drop in exports from Tripura. On Tuesday (10th September) evening, the daily shortfall had increased to 2000MW.
A power crisis like no other
The shutdown of the Barapukuria power plant due to a technical issue has added to the existing woes.
Chief Engineer Abu Bakr Siddique claimed, “We need two electro-hydraulic oil pumps to run our turbines. In 2022, one of our electro-hydraulic oil pumps broke. We sent a letter to the contractor, but they haven’t been able to supply the equipment. As a result, our unit has been running with a single pump all this time. That pump broke on Monday and now the whole plant is closed.”
Bangladesh owes $500 million to just one Indian conglomerate Adani Group alone. And the country’s daily gas supply is now down by 820 million cubic feet. It’s unclear how the Islamic country will now get out of this mess.
Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) member Khondker Mokammel Hossain said, “On one hand, reduced LNG supply has led to a decrease of approximately 1,500MW of electricity production, and on the other hand, due to unpaid bills, we are receiving 500MW less electricity from Adani.”
“The government has taken steps to settle the outstanding payments. While it may not be possible to pay off the entire amount at once, part of the dues will be paid in the coming days to restore full capacity,” he added.
In the meantime, the Finance and Commerce Adviser Salehuddin Ahmed has hinted that there is no respite soon. He announced on Tuesday (10th September) that it would take ‘some time’ for the electricity production to return to normalcy.
He said: “The government is working to address the electricity shortage. We are giving priority to importing fuel and coal to meet this shortage.”
Lawlessness at its peak
Bangladesh has not returned to normalcy ever since ‘student protestors’ and Islamist groups created anarchy on the streets to overthrow former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
Just on Monday (9th September) night, a Swechchhasebak Dal leader and a supporter of Gokul Union Jubo Dal leader were murdered in Bogura’s Sadar upazila by their political rivals.
The deceased were identified as 37-year-old Mizanur Rahman Mizan and 35-year-old Ledu. Mizan was attacked by 8-10 bike-borne miscreants with sharp weapons during a power outage.
He was declared dead on arrival at the Bogura Shaheed Ziaur Rahman Medical College and Hospital. Mizan’s supporters later hacked Ledu to death after accusing him of being part of the group that killed their leader.
A day earlier on Sunday (8th September), workers of a garment factory in the Jamgora Shimultala area of Ashulia city in Bangladesh attacked the army, police and its anti-terror branch Rapid Action Battalion (RAB).
They were protesting over unpaid wages and had blocked the streets. When security forces tried to intervene, the garment factory workers hurled stones and bricks at them. They also vandalised a RAB vehicle and attempted to set it on fire.
While speaking about the incident, Major Jalis Mahmud Khan, company commander of RAB-4 CPC-2, said: “We tried to disperse the workers, but they became agitated. In the end, we were able to manage the situation.”
“Some troublemakers vandalized a RAB vehicle and attempted to set it on fire. However, we managed to extinguish the fire. They also threw bricks at an army vehicle. The garment sector is extremely important for Bangladesh, and we will make every effort to keep it operational,” he added.
Similar protests by factory workers were observed in Jamgara, Narsinghapur, and Unique
Top criminals and terrorists out of jail
The lawlessness in Bangladesh has been further exacerbated by hardened criminals taking advantage of the changing political landscape in the country.
According to a report by Prothom Alo, at least 6 top criminals and terrorists have been freed since the undemocratic ouster of Sheikh Hasina on 5th August this year.
They include ‘Killer Abbas’, Sheikh Mohammad Aslam/ Sweden Aslam, Imamul Hasan Helal, Sanjidul Islam, Naim Ahmed and Khorshed Alam Rasu. The dreaded terrorists had spent close to 10-15 years behind bars.
Other criminals are now reportedly lobbying hard to get out of prison. Those freed are eyeing to leave the country. With little to no monitoring of the released criminals, the police and intelligence authorities alike are in a state of panic in Bangladesh.
Professor at Dhaka University, Tawohidul Haque told Prothom Alo, “The top terrorists used to control the crimes staying in jails. That is why their release on bail enhances the possibility of an increase in criminal acts.”
“Strict monitoring is required on whether the terrorists released on bail are reviving their old networks. Otherwise, the aspiration of student-people for a new Bangladesh will be demolished,” he added.
‘Boycott India’ campaign fails, Bangladesh dependent on Indian imports
Muhammad Yunus, who has been given the command to sail the sinking ship of Bangladesh to safety, is busy appeasing radical Muslim groups in the country. This becomes evident from the decision to stop Hilsa export to India ahead of the Bengali Hindu festival of Durga Puja.
It must be mentioned that as a goodwill gesture, Sheikh Hasina would send consignments of the premium fish each year between August and October. Muhammad Yunus had decided to make a sharp departure from this annual practice citing ‘domestic demand’.
Bangladeshi Fisheries Minister Farida Akhter had even tried rationalising the abrupt decision by claiming to make Hilsa accessible to poor families in the country. “No Hilsa will be exported to India for Durga Puja this year,” she had declared.
This single decision had increased support for Muhammad Yunus among Islamist groups, spearheading the ‘India Out’ campaign. They were given to believe that the interim government of Bangladesh has stood up to the ‘big bully’ India.
“Even if the prices don’t soften, the news of an export ban will please people here. That’s the main reason behind the ban,” a source told The Telegraph. However, the tough stance had to be softened within 2 days.
Far from boycotting Indian products, Bangladesh imported 2.31 lakh chicken eggs worth USD 11,272 from India to curb soaring prices in its domestic market. The first shipment of eggs was received on Monday (September 9) at the Benapole land port in Jashore.
Interm govt of Bangladesh panders to Islamists
Given the rising Islamism in the country, Yunus found a two-pronged way of further solidifying his space in the country’s political sphere.
He revoked the ban on the radical Islamist outfit ‘Jamaat-e-Islami’ and released the leader of the radical outfit ‘Ansarullah Bangla Team (ABT)’ Muhammad Jasimuddin Rahmani.
At the same time, Muhammad Yunus began discounting the religious angle in the targeted attacks on the Hindu community.
He has gone on record from lamenting about attacks on Hindus to saying that the claims of atrocities are ‘exaggerated‘.
The two decisions by the head of the interim government elated the Islamists in the country.
They are now led to believe that Bangladesh will witness full-scale implementation of Sharia law in the absence of Sheikh Hasina and the emergence of their new Messiah aka Muhammad Yunus.
Influx of Rohingyas into Bangladesh and looming security threat
Amid the internal political turmoil in Bangladesh, over 15000 Rohingyas have entered the country from neighbouring Myanmar in the past 8-10 days. To make matters more, an additional 50000 of them are waiting to infiltrate Bangladesh.
The large-scale human trafficking is facilitated by smuggling rings through the Naf River along multiple border points. Much of the infiltration is carried out during the night.
Just on Sunday (8th September), 30 Rohingyas travelled from Maungdaw in Mynamar to Keruntali in Teknaf upazila of Bangladesh. While 9 of the illegal immigrants were women, another 15 of them were children.
However, Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) has dismissed these media reports. Smuggling rings have reportedly been facilitating these crossings in exchange for money.
Lieutenant Colonel Mohammad Mahiuddin Ahmed claimed, “The number of Rohingya infiltrations being reported is not accurate. There are some isolated infiltrations. We are jointly repelling them. Nearly 4,500 Rohingya have been sent back in the last month. Patrols have been intensified in the Naf River.”
Mohammad Mizanur Rahman, the Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner, conceded that he has no idea about the extent of illegal immigration.
“Those who are crossing the border are taking shelter with their relatives in various refugee camps. We do not have any record of how much infiltration has occurred,” he stated.
In 2019, former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina raised alarms over the infiltration of Rohingya refugees into Bangladesh from the Rakhine state of Myanmar.
Without mincing any words, she had said, “In terms of regional security, I would like to say that more than 1.1 million Rohingya citizens of Myanmar fled to Bangladesh in the face of persecution and they are a threat to the security not only for Bangladesh but also for the region.“
Possible conflict with Myanmar
On Tuesday (10th September) morning, bullets were fired without any provocation at a Bangladeshi passenger trawler from the Myanmar side.
The trawler, belonging to one Abdur Rashid, was on its way to Teknaf from Cox’s Bazar’s Saint Martin’s Island.
A passenger named Nashir Uddin informed, “The 50-60 passengers aboard panicked, some screamed while others lay down in fear. Around 50 shots were fired, and a section of the trawler was damaged.”
It remains unclear as to which party (rebels or government forces) fired the shots.
Bangladesh, which is now reeling under an economic crisis and deteriorating law and order situation, cannot afford a conflict with Myanmar.
