Desk Report,
The July Massacre and the BBC Documentary
Sheikh Hasina is the daughter of Bangladesh’s founding president Sheikh Mujib. Mujib ruled the country for three and a half years. He established authoritarian rule in this country. When his popularity was at its lowest, he was assassinated by the military. Hasina ruled the country for 20 and a half years. She followed her father in many ways. And surpassed him in many ways. She took authoritarian rule to the top. At one point, she too fell. She fled with her life. At the same time, she assassinated her father for the second time. This will be an example.
The July Massacre and the BBC Documentary
Hasina’s followers worshipped her for her various worldly achievements. Some called her the country’s jewel, others called her the daughter of democracy; some called her the daughter of language, and others called her the mother of humanity. She was rewriting the narrative of independence with the intellectuals she supported. Several small and big political parties have protested against Hasina’s government. Hasina’s people have harassed, beaten, imprisoned, disappeared, and killed many of them. It once seemed unbelievable that Hasina would not remain the Prime Minister during her lifetime, or that Khaleda Zia would be able to live a free life during her lifetime. That is what happened on August 5, 2024.
Although political parties staged movements during Hasina’s tenure, for various reasons, there was no public participation in them. The movements were mainly party worker-dependent. In fact, people had lost interest in traditional politics and had become disillusioned. Among these, we saw a few movements where ordinary citizens were seen uniting. These were not movements to change the government, nor were they held under the banner of any political party. Although they received the sympathy and support of many political parties, and many of their workers were involved in those movements. As an example, we can talk about the Safe Roads Movement. This movement reflected the aspirations of ordinary citizens. Towards the end, the goons of the government party also attacked the agitators. I have seen pictures and news of these people wearing helmets in the media.
Now let’s come to the topic of the quota reform movement. It happened in three phases. The first two times it aroused a response among ordinary students, but it did not go far. Both times it stumbled. They were even attacked on campus by the boys and girls of the government Chhatra League. Hasina’s model for suppressing the movement was like this: the students will protest. The people of the government student organization will attack them. They will beat them and throw them out of the campus. If that does not work, she will create division among the protesters by giving them money, hiring detectives, and having fake reports by pet journalists spread.
