It is a well known fact that the students’ movement in Bangladesh was a staged one aimed at overthrowing a regime. What was promised post the regime change was a new Bangladesh which would be a sign of prosperity. Six months have gone and the reality today is that Bangladesh has become a Pakistan proxy being led by a leader who has allowed his country to become a jihadi state.
However now there is fresh trouble brewing in Bangladesh. The students have started protesting again. The only difference is that this time it is not against the government, but against each other.
What has triggered the fight
Clashes at the Khulna University of Engineering and Technology (KEUT) resulted in 150 students being injured. The discord is between the students’ wing that led the protest to oust Sheikh Hasina and students who are opposed to this faction.
The youth wing of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP)- the Jatiyobadi Chatro Dal (JCD) sought to recruit students at the university. This led to retaliation by the members of the Muhammad Yunus backed Students Against Corruption (SAD). This was the same group that led the uprising against the Sheikh Hasina regime which eventually led to her ouster.
The JCD is demanding that university elections be held and the vice chancellor Mohammad Mashud be removed. The SAD is however opposed to both the ideas and this finally led to a violent clash. The students also are said to have locked up the vice chancellor following a physical altercation.
Following the altercation over 50 students were taken to the hospital for treatment. Footage of the clashes show rival groups wielding machetes and fighting with each other. Students were also taken to hospital, images from the university show.
Both the students groups however blame each other for the violence. The JCD chief Nasir Uddin Nasir said that it was the SAD which instigated the recent violence. He also accused the Jamaat-e-Islami of backing the SAD to indulge in violent activities. The JCD has also accused the SAD of bringing politics to the campus. They say that they wanted to keep the campus free of politics, but the SAD has not honoured that.
Rift wide open
It has been reported for long that all is not hunky dory in Bangladesh. When Sheikh Hasina and her Awami League were ousted, Bangladesh’s top leadership painted a united picture.
It appeared as though, Muhammad Yunus the chief of the interim government, BNP and Jamaat were all together. The unity lasted as long all of them fought a common enemy in Hasina and once she was out of the picture it all fell apart for the three.
The BNP has grown extremely suspicious of Yunus. The leadership feels that he is not interested in conducting elections. The BNP says that Yunus is trying to amend the Constitution so that he can hang on to power without holding an election.
Further Yunus is also giving a lot of emphasis to both the Jamaat and the SAD. In fact he is backing the SAD to create a militant like outfit which would eventually control the law and order situation in Bangladesh.. If one looks at this particular agenda, it is clear that the real intent is to bring the Sharia law to govern Bangladesh and turn it into an Islamist nation.
The latest battle between the two students’ groups is another indicator as to how deep the rift is between the Muhammad Yunus backed students wing and the BNP’s student outfit. The two are clashing at all levels and it clear that the BNP is protesting against the dictatorial style that Yunus is following.
Bangladesh watchers say that this was bound to happen. The fault lines are visible and the mask of unity has worn off. In fact something more interesting is taking place in the background. There seems to some amount of unity building between the BNP and Awami League cadres. Today they find a common enemy in Yunus and both parties want elections to be held at the earliest. They fear that the more Yunus is in charge, the more he will meddle and this could eventually lead to the amendment of the Constitution thus paving the way for Yunus to rule for life.
Yunus still fears Awami League
While Yunus is in a direct battle with the BNP today, he still fears the Awami League the most. Every pundit indicates that if elections are held today and they are free and fair, there is no doubt that the Awami League will come back to power in the country.
Yunus is well aware of that and hence he has launched ‘Operation Devil Hunt’ to specifically target Awami League cadres. So far a staggering 18,000 people mostly from the Awami League have been arrested.
The operation involves the army, police, navy, coast guard and border guards. The use of so much force clearly suggests that Yunus is hell bent on wiping out the Awami League.
The Yunus administration when questioned about the use of such force and how long could this operation go on said that it would be on until all devils are uprooted. The administration justifies this operation by stating that these people who are being arrested are all hell bent upon destabilising the country.
The people who Yunus are targeting are demanding that elections be held so that democracy is restored and the rule of law is back in Bangladesh.
