Crisis in Bangladesh
By Prof. (Dr.) D.K. Giri
(Secy Gen, Assn for Democratic Socialism)
India’s friendly neighbour Bangladesh, all of a sudden plunged into a major crisis causing death, destruction, displacement and a dramatic change of government. The Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who ruled the country for 20 years, out of which 15 years consecutively, had to flee the country to save her life. She is currently parking in India while seeking political asylum in the United Kingdom or any other safe country. India has reacted but not “strong enough or in a helpful manner”. It is in order that we examine the cause and consequence of the current crisis in Bangladesh and implications of India’s position on it.
The Head of the interim government in Bangladesh, the Nobel laureate Prof. Muhammad Yunus said that he was saddened by India’s neutral and apathetic reaction to the developments in Bangladesh. New Delhi’s initial reaction was that it is an internal matter of Bangladesh. To that, Yunus’ response was that India’s non-involvement is like someone keeping quiet or looking the other way when their neighbour’s house is on fire. The second consequence of New Delhi’s position was that a lot of Hindus flocked to the border to cross over to India. Without any support from India, the minority Hindus feared the worst.
In the line of non-interference, Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated the Head of the interim government. At the same time, he hoped for early return to normalcy in Bangladesh. He called for the protection of Hindus amid reports of targeted attacks on the minority community. Modi urged Prof. Yunus to ensure safety and protection of minority communities in Bangladesh. He added that India remains committed to working with Bangladesh to fulfil the shared aspiration of both our peoples for peace, security and development.
At the same time, the Minister for External Affairs S Jaishankar maintained a studied optimistic posture on the developments in Bangladesh especially on the interim government. He said, “the wishes of the people of Bangladesh are paramount” and taking cognizance of the attacks on minority communities, suggested that “It is a task of every government of Bangladesh to protect all its citizens”.
On the Bangladesh crisis, what prompted it? How did the ‘iron lady’ of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina’s government fall like a house of cards? For the last 15 years, Hasina led Bangladesh to impressive economic progress. The country of 170 million people saw millions being lifted out of poverty. She hosted 14 lakhs Rohingya Muslim refugees and earned international praise. She won three consecutive elections. What then went wrong for the most powerful Prime Minister of Bangladesh?
The trigger that caused the unrest was an unpopular quota for government jobs which was originally introduced by her father after the liberation of Bangladesh. More than 50 per cent of government jobs were reserved for various sections of which 30 per cent were for the descendants of freedom fighters who fought in the 1971 liberation war. Actually, Ms Hasina had cancelled the system in 2018 following protests. Unfortunately, in June 2024, the old system was reinstated by the Bangladesh High Court. This triggered protest by the students, first on university campuses and later spreading across the country.
The second reason was the lack of political legitimacy for her government. Historically, particularly recently, the government and opposition in Bangladesh had a hostile relationship. The leader of BNP, the main opposition party and the former Prime Minister Begum Khaleda Zia was sentenced to a five-year jail term which was later extended to ten years. Leaders of Jamaat-e-Islami, the radical Islamist party was convicted and hanged by the war-crimes tribunal. The BNP had boycotted two consecutive Parliament elections. On top of it, independent analysts had flagged cases of irregularities in the election process. When the protest by the students erupted, the disgruntled political class joined the protest and fuelled the fire.
The mistake made by Ms. Hasina was that she failed to decipher the depth of students’ anger. She also underestimated the strength of her political opponents. She called the protesters ‘razakars’, a pejorative term used for those who helped Pakistani troops during the liberation war. This inflamed passions. The involvement of foreign agencies like Pakistan and China also cannot be ruled out. In any case, the onus of handling the situation lay on Hasina’s shoulders. Instead of engaging the students and the protestors in some kind of dialogue, she resorted use of force to counter the uprising. She unleashed both police force and the Awami League activists on the protestors who were also violent. Violence begets violence. That is exactly what happened in Bangladesh.
In July, some 200 people were killed, mostly protestors, in clashes. As per the government, hundreds of police personnel were also injured. The protest began against the quota, later turned against the government and with the involvement of anti-social, land-grabbing fundamentalist forces, the uprising turned against minorities especially Hindus. But there was a twist in the tale. That also escaped the political sagacity of Hasina. After the protest, the court had scaled down the quota system. The students called off the protest. That was clearly a victory for the students. But they did not stop. Proverbially, they had tasted blood and were infected by the vested interests. They called for a second round of protest. This time, it was for the ouster of Hasina’s government. She could not handle it again and that brought the curtain down on her government.
The world has reacted to Bangladesh crisis. The British Foreign Secretary, David Lammy has said that it was shocking and most unfortunate that lives and property were lost in Bangladesh. He demanded an investigation led by the UN to the causes and perpetrators of violence in Bangladesh. In the United Kingdom, there is a huge Bangladeshi Diaspora. The Labour Government in Britain gave a strong reaction saying what happened in Bangladesh was completely unacceptable.
The Federal Foreign Office in Germany said that it is important for Bangladesh to continue on its democratic path. The European Union called for calm and restraint. In a statement, the foreign policy chief, Josep Borrell said, “It is vital that an orderly and peaceful transition towards a democratically elected government is ensured, in full respect of human rights and democratic principles”.
The United States also stressed on the democratic methods to be adopted in Bangladesh. The White House called for respecting democratic rights. It said, we urge the interim government formation be democratic or inclusive. The US administration thinks that Hasina’s violent reaction to legitimate protest by students made her continued rule untenable. The United Nations Secretary General urged for a “peaceful, orderly and democratic transition”.
For the time being, there appears to be peace in Bangladesh but one is not sure how long. Also, the crimes on hapless minorities should not go unpunished. They have been nicely caught on camera. It will not be difficult for the administration to book them. This will teach a lesson to the miscreants who fish in troubled waters. New Delhi should remain vigilant. — INFA