It all started with Buet. On 27 August, Buet students blocked Shahbagh intersection in Dhaka. One of their demands was that the minimum requirement for 9th-grade government jobs should be a BSc in Engineering. They also demand that BSc graduates should also be allowed to sit for recruitment exams for 10th-grade posts alongside diploma graduates; and no one should be allowed to use the title of engineer without holding a BSc in Engineering degree.
As the students marched from Shahbagh towards Jamuna, the chief adviser's residence, a clash broke out with the police in front of the InterContinental Hotel. To disperse the protesters, police fired tear gas shells and used batons. Many students were injured.
Before tensions from this incident eased, the Chittagong University campus flared up late at night on 30 August. However, the situation was different here.
Speaking to the witnesses, students and locals, it was revealed that a first-year female student from the university's Philosophy department lived in a rented apartment near Gate no 2 of the campus. As she was trying to enter her residence late at night, the security guard stopped her. He refused to open the door and abused her verbally. At one point in the argument, the guard slapped her across the face.
When her roommates, who were tenants of the building, went downstairs, the doorman pushed the woman to the ground and started kicking her.
As more students who happened to be nearby gathered, the doorman ran away from the scene.
As students chased him, locals started throwing bricks and stones at the students, and a clash ensued between the students and the villagers. Soon, both groups allegedly used loudspeakers to invite others to join the fight.
Around 3:30am, army personnel arrived at the scene in six vehicles and brought the situation under control. But around 11:00am, locals allegedly launched another attack on the students. In these two rounds of clashes, at least 180 students of the university were injured.
The university authorities have suspended examinations in all departments, and the administration imposed Section 144 in the area.
Amid the tense situation at Chittagong University, unrest has also spread to Rajshahi University. According to students, Chhatra Dal members laid siege to the office of the RUCSU (Rajshahi University Central Students' Union) treasurer and put it under lock and key, demanding that first-year students be included in the voter list for the upcoming RUCSU elections. During the protest, a scuffle broke out between Chhatra Dal activists and another student group, leaving at least eight injured.
Later that afternoon, a group of students broke the lock placed by Chhatra Dal. After that, the distribution of nomination papers for the RUCSU polls resumed.
Rajshahi University is still tense. Meanwhile, tensions have flared up at Bangladesh Agricultural University in Mymensingh. Two protests broke out on campus in a single day. Students of the Veterinary and Animal Husbandry faculty confined the vice-chancellor and 227 teachers, demanding a combined degree program. On the other hand, students laid siege to the agriculture block.
Many believe that the sudden unrest across university campuses within just two days is not a coincidence. On social media, at roadside tea stalls, one can hear the whispers of people expressing their concerns.
Zakia Habiba Antara is a student at the Pabna Medical College. She wrote on her Facebook profile, "In our country, there's a familiar pattern: whenever the authorities want to cover up a major wrongdoing, they create new issues." She added that it's worth investigating whether the recent unrest on campuses was a continuation of the pattern.
In the afternoon, while having tea at a roadside stall, some words caught my ear. A middle-aged gentleman, sipping his tea, remarked, "Seems like they won't let the election happen after all. That is why they are trying to stir up chaos in the country."
The chief adviser has announced that the national election will be held in mid-February next year. While the BNP welcomes this, other parties haven't been as pleased. The NCP has openly stated that it will not participate in the election without reforms, justice, and implementation of the July Charter. Although the Jamaat hasn't made any direct statement, its tone reveals that it, too, is in favour of delaying the election.
Given the reality, some are questioning whether the anti-election groups are secretly trying to destabilise the country by fueling such unrest.
Others are also speculating about the possible involvement of a "third party" behind these clashes. The truth is, so much is happening across the country every day, and with the flood of misinformation and fake news on social media, our increasingly suspicious minds are now inclined to see motives behind almost every incident.
Some believe that although the fascists may have fled, their allies remain in the country, actively pushing the nation toward unrest through various means. For instance, in the case of the Chittagong University violence, the university's Pro-Vice Chancellor (Administration) Kamal Uddin, directly stated, "Top Chhatra League cadres were behind the clashes. They attacked students wearing helmets, using iron rods, sticks, large machetes, and knives."
He also criticised the government for failing to bring the situation under control. "We contacted the home affairs adviser and the chief adviser's office, we kept trying for two hours, but no one responded to our calls," he claimed.
Professor Abdul Latif Masum, former chairman of the Government and Politics Department at Jahangirnagar University, told a media outlet, "The Awami League is actually trying to derail the election."
A similar accusation came from Rashed Alom Bhuiyan, who teaches political science at Dhaka University. He stated, "The remnants of fascism still control billions in funds. They have the media. They have some intellectuals too. They have social media as well. The conspirators are using these tools as part of a strategy to disrupt the election or undermine the government.."
Beyond all these "conspiracy theories," there are some things that are clearly visible to the naked eye, such as the government's lack of full control over law and order. For instance, since the interim government took charge, numerous groups, organisations, individuals, and political parties have taken to the streets with various demands. The government has failed to respond firmly to any of them.
As a result, over the past year, a sort of "demand force" seems to have emerged, groups that hit the streets with fresh demands every few days. And since the government ends up fulfilling at least some of these demands, it might have created the perception that now is the perfect time to push for anything you want.
Could it be that this deep-seated psychological belief is driving students at various educational institutions to launch protests?
On 29 August, a clash broke out in the capital between members of the Gano Adhikar Parishad and security personnel—both police and army—near the Jatiya Party headquarters. As a result, the party's president, Nurul Haque Nur, sustained serious injuries and is currently in the ICU at Dhaka Medical College Hospital. Some are already suggesting that this incident, too, might be part of a larger conspiracy, either to destabilise the country or to sabotage the upcoming election.
On Sunday, Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus held a meeting at Jamuna with leaders of the BNP, Jamaat, and NCP. In light of this, many are now trying to connect the dots between the country's shifting political landscape and the rising tensions on university campuses.
Whatever the case may be, it's clear that the wave of protests erupting one after another in universities across the country has placed the government in a rather difficult position.
Comments