Bangladesh violence- background

• Students Protests Against the Bangladesh Government:  Violence erupted in Bangladesh as student protests against the governments’ quota system in job  reservation turned violent. The ire was directed against Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina government. The protests began last month with students demanding an end to a quota system in government jobs but escalated into  wild, uncontrollable, and wider anti-government riots.
• Quota System for Government Jobs: The quota system, which reserved 30% of government jobs for the families of veterans who fought in Bangladesh’s war of independence against Pakistan in 1971, was a major point of contention. The Bangladesh Supreme Court scaled back the quota system to 5% of jobs, with 3% for relatives of veterans, but protests  continued.
• Demand for Prime Minister’s Resignation: The protesters are now demanding the resignation of  Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who has been in power for over 15 years . The government has accused the opposition parties and their student wings of instigating the violence.
• Government Crackdown: The government has responded to the protests with force, imposing  curfew, shutting down internet services, and arresting thousands of people . The crackdown led to further violence and clashes between protesters and security forces.

Opposition Parties: The main opposition party, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, and the now-banned Jamaat-e-Islami party have been accused of instigating the violence. However, the opposition parties have denied these allegations and have called for the government to step down.

With these present conditions, the creation of Bangladesh should be given a look. 

Elections declared in Pakistan in the 1970s. There were two main parts of Pakistan. Western Pakistan and Eastern Pakistan. Eastern Pakistan  is a large chunk of the previous Indian State of Bengal. The British rule over India used divide and rule policy with Hindu and Muslim population. It is a fact that there was a larger contingent of Muslim political leaders vindicating the ‘theory of two nations’ – India and Pakistan. The sectarian and communal emotions were fanned systematically, and soon, the partition of ancient land of Hindustan gathered uncontrollable momentum. Violent Hindu Muslim clashes erupted all over, resulting in the creation of two nations, India and Pakistan. Millions of people are displaced, killed, and lost. A large area of Indian Bengal province formed Eastern Pakistan. However, in the newly created Pakistan, the Western part always dominated the Eastern part.

When Eastern Pakistan was accorded partial treatment and looked down as inferior by the ruling Western Pakistani junta headed by then Prime Minister Yahya Khan, widespread anger and resentment ran in the Eastern Pakistan population. They showed their resentment by electing Sheik Mujib Ur Rehman’s Awami party with a thumping majority. The election results were suppressed by Pakistan government, and the Pakistani army under Yahya Khan’s orders under ‘Operation Searchlight’ code name entered eastern Pakistan and started a terrible genocide with the involvement of local radical religious militia groups.  Tens and thousands of Eastern Pakistanis flee to India ( nearly 10 million) from harsh atrocities in the form of massacre, arson, and rape. India arranged for their food and shelter in refugee camp. However, the financial strain it was creating onIndian economy was huge. Mrs Indira Gandhi, then Prime Minister of India, requested Western nations and US. She toured the main countries and made the Western world aware of the complexities, the partial treatment and denial of election victory to Awami league by Pakistan, atrocities of Pakistan army, and refugee influx and economic burden on India without getting any support.

People of eastern Pakistan formed guerrilla organization Mukti Bahini to fight the Pakistani army. The Pakistani army soon started backtracking and made preemptive air strikes in Northern India, drawing Indian army into conflict. Awami leaders went underground.

Bangladesh Mukti Sena( Bangladesh Freedom Army), with the help of  Indian Army, drove away the Pakistan army from Eastern Pakistan and carved out Bangladesh. 

Pakistan and fanatics in Bangladesh still do not agree with the creation of Bangladesh. Sheikh Hasina  government held trials to punish people who took part and helped the Pakistan army in the atrocities they committed. The court ordered the death penalty to those involved in heinous crime against their own people.

This act and closeness to India made the ruling government of Bangladesh unpopular with Pakistan and fanatics, and their instigation is the main reason why not the violent protests are subsided, though the government agreed with protestors’ demands. The student agitation, it seems to have been infiltrated by hard-core criminal and fanatics, turning it into religious anti-social violent and rioting agitation .