Bangladesh's political situation remains volatile after the Hasina administration imposed a curfew and deployed all forces, including the Army, to suppress student protests. Sheikh Hasina deployed an army known for earning foreign currency and honor as the highest number of participants in the UN Peace Mission.

Recently, the UN protested against the Bangladesh Army's use of Armored Personnel Carriers (APCs) from the Peace Mission, which was later donated to the Bangladesh Army. The UN Peace Mission is renowned for maintaining peace in conflicted countries and never using UN armor to harm civilians. This reputation has given the UN Peace Mission global prestige.

However, the Bangladesh Army used APCs with UN seals to attack students protesting the job quota system. When questioned, Bangladesh's Foreign Minister Hassan Mahmud said they had mistakenly forgotten to remove the UN seals from the APCs used in the attack. This explanation seemed inadequate, as video footage showed a student being dragged out of an APC by a soldier and thrown onto the street.

Bangladesh is slowly returning to normalcy after at least 200 deaths, thousands of injuries with some estimates over 25,000, and many disappearances and arrests. Recently, student coordinator Nahid Islam, in a video message from police custody, withdrew the student movement after the government accepted their main demand of reducing the job quota. Many believe Nahid's statement was dictated by the police, as he appeared frightened. The government claimed that the five student coordinators were provided with safe custody for their protection after some were taken from hospitals by police in white clothes.

Social media footage showed students and bystanders being killed at point-blank range, with law enforcement officers dragging away the bodies. Even children were not spared; one father reported his 5-year-old daughter was killed by a stray bullet from a helicopter while she was on the rooftop. The international community criticized Sheikh Hasina for her perceived insincerity, particularly regarding the destruction of the metro rail and Bangladesh Television. She later visited injured people in hospitals and met the parents of Abu Sayeed, a martyr of the student movement, pledging that no perpetrators would go unpunished.

According to media reports, after a diplomatic briefing by Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud, US Ambassador Peter Haas inquired about the killings, but the Foreign Minister could not provide an answer. Following the meeting, Peter Haas quietly left the country without the customary farewell meetings with the Prime Minister, Foreign Minister, or President.

The BBC reported that, although the student movement appeared crushed by the Army and police, the underlying issues remain unresolved, and the government has lost legitimacy. The government justified the curfew and army deployment by citing the destruction of key installations, but security experts argue this was to instill fear in society. Social media showed soldiers in sarees after the Hasina administration partially lifted the internet blackout.

The government blamed the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and Jamaat-e-Islami for the destruction. Indian author and editor Salil Tripathi found this unlikely, noting BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia is under house arrest, and her son Tarique Rahman is in exile. Jamaat-e-Islami has limited support, having achieved only 7-8% of the vote at its peak in coalition with BNP. Many believe Hasina orchestrated the destruction to justify the curfew and army deployment, which included sporadic open firing on students and a "shoot on sight" order.

The job quota system highlighted several absurdities, as Hasina claimed it honored freedom fighters. During the 1971 independence war, almost the entire nation fought against Pakistani forces. The government estimated 300,000 people died, suggesting a much larger number were involved or affected. The 30% government job quota for freedom fighters and their descendants is controversial, as the constitution only allows quotas for freedom fighters, not their children.

Bangladeshis abroad have decided to withhold remittances through government channels to protest the killings and internet blackout, calling themselves "remittance warriors." Remittances are a major source of foreign currency for Bangladesh. 

While the situation seems under control, it remains to be seen how the Hasina administration will regain the trust lost by these actions.

--

Writer: Avik Sanwar Rahman, Executive Editor, The Bay Wave, New York 

The opinion of the columnist is solely his own.