Fazr Ali, a 47-year-old garment worker living in Rampura, rarely steps out at night these days. Given the country's current situation, he fears something terrible may befall at any moment. But even if he chooses to stay indoors, no one guarantees that fear won't follow him home.
That's what the nights of the July uprising felt like. Fear would arrive tiptoeing, knocking at the door. The darker the night, the greater the fear of arrest. Block raids were in full swing. Areas with heightened protest activity saw the most intense raids, with law enforcement agencies surrounding entire neighbourhoods before conducting house-to-house arrests. In some cases, helicopters were deployed during the operations.
As of July 26, nearly 2,500 people had been arrested in the capital Dhaka alone, amid the quota reform movement. Nationwide, the number was much higher. Most of the detainees were students, along with activists from political parties like BNP, Jamaat-e-Islami, and others. Many were reportedly shown to be arrested in old or unrelated cases.
The then foreign minister, Hasan Mahmud, had said no "ordinary student" would be harassed. But nighttime operations by law enforcers told a different story.
A phrase circulating widely on social media at the time summed it up best: "Drama by day, detention by night."
DB picks up three coordinators from the hospital
At around 3:30 PM on July 26, a group of law enforcement personnel in plainclothes entered the Gonoshasthaya Nagar Hospital in Dhaka and picked up Nahid Islam, Asif Mahmud Sajib Bhuiyan, and Abu Bakar Mojumder—all three were coordinators of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement at the time.
A frantic search ensued for three of them. Later that night, after 11:00pm, the Detective Branch (DB) of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police confirmed that they had taken the three into custody. When asked why they were detained, the DB stated that it was done "for their safety" and that they would be questioned regarding the ongoing violence.
Sheikh Hasina showcases her 'sad' face
That same day, the then-prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, visited injured individuals at Dhaka Medical College Hospital. She inquired about their conditions and later told reporters, "So many people… I have lost everything—my father, mother, and brothers. I know what it means to lose loved ones. No one can understand more than I do. I only wanted peace in this country, for people to prosper and live good lives. I never wanted this—people losing their near ones. I never wanted this procession of death. But that's what's happening in Bangladesh today."
"I pray to Allah the Almighty that they recover. We will do everything necessary for their treatment… I can only assure that the government is doing and will continue to do what is needed. And after recovery, we will ensure they have the means to earn a living at least," She said, adding that the government would take full responsibility for medical treatment and ensure rehabilitation and livelihoods for the injured.
Meanwhile, she blamed the BNP and Jamaat for the unrest:
"We have already met all of their demands. Then why this again? That's my question. Is this to pave the way for militancy? I urge my fellow citizens to identify the perpetrators and unite against such brutality and heinous acts, "Hasina said.
Earlier that morning, she visited Bangladesh Television (BTV) headquarters in Rampura. While talking there, she said that action would be taken against "perpetrators".
On July 26, the government temporarily relaxed the curfew in Dhaka from 8 AM to 5 PM. However, with both state-run and private broadcasters failing to inform on the actual situation on the ground, most people turned to international media or the few local newspapers.
Citizens from all walks of life spent their days under constant anxiety of surveillance, as an atmosphere of suffocating fear grew ever stronger.
Comments