Dipanjan Roy Chaudhury
The upheaval in South Asia’s second fastest growing economy—Bangladesh—that led to dramatic incidents forcing a 3 term Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to step down and take refuge in India is not merely a result of economic crisis and lack of space for the Opposition but an attempt by radical and extremists to capture power through street protests and violence. Such instances are rare in South Asia with the exception of Nepal where protests led to abolition of hugely unpopular monarchy. However, the political protests in Nepal were different in character as it did not lead to collapse of law and order as is being currently witnessed in Bangladesh. Rather the movement mainstreamed the once dreaded Maoists.
While the students who hit the streets of Dhaka had genuine grievances and represented voices who were feeling heat from lack of jobs, corruption and inflation, what followed within hours of Sheikh Hasina’s exit from Bangladesh was anything but civil. Murals of founding father of Bangladesh Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and symbols representing him were destroyed in what appears to be a well-planned strategy to erase edifice of creation of Bangladesh. It became increasingly clear that the anti-liberation and hardline forces have once again come to forefront to target progressive and secular forces of Bangladesh. Indian cultural centre in Dhaka which had helped to nurture local talent was burnt down in one of the bizarre moves.
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