Bangladesh: Political violence grips the nation as elections loom

Weeks of rising political tensions have sparked protests and bloodshed in Bangladesh, embarrassing the nation forward of parliamentary elections due in January.

The resurgent major opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Occasion (BNP) has intensified its protests and known as for the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

The BNP and its allies need a impartial caretaker authorities forward of the overall election, arguing that free and truthful elections usually are not potential below Ms. Hasina. The Awami League-led authorities has rejected this demand.

The BNP rally within the capital Dhaka attracted tens of hundreds of individuals – one of many largest gatherings there in a decade.

However issues quickly turned violent.

Police fired rubber bullets and tear gasoline whereas opposition supporters threw stones and bricks. Some streets within the capital had been plagued by exploded sound grenades, tear gasoline grenades and damaged glass.

Either side blame one another for triggering the violence.

“The opposition supporters attacked law enforcement officials, journalists, hospitals, ambulances and the homes of the Chief Justice and different judges, inflicting chaos,” Overseas Minister AK Abdul Momen informed the BBC.

The BNP stated it was the opposite means round.

“It was a peaceable and non-violent rally, however the authorities was amazed by the massive turnout. So that they determined to disrupt the assembly,” senior celebration chief Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury informed the BBC.

“The rally was attacked from two sides. It resembled a warfare zone. That’s why we needed to cease our public assembly within the center.”

The ruling Awami League denies allegations that its supporters provoked opposition activists to participate within the rally.

A 3-day nationwide blockade known as by the BNP started on Tuesday to protest in opposition to the police operation.

In a number of locations, demonstrators set buses on hearth and clashed with safety forces. Police used tear gasoline and rubber bullets to disperse them. Two opposition members had been killed in clashes with police on Tuesday. Most automobiles stayed off the street for worry of violence.

Political unrest will not be unusual in Bangladesh. Through the years, events have taken to the streets to press their calls for, resulting in closures, violence and deaths.

However in recent times, political divisions have deepened and bitterness is rising because the Awami League enters its second decade in workplace and seeks a fourth consecutive five-year time period. The 2 main events are in no temper to compromise and the possibilities of dialogue earlier than the vote seem slim.

She is now 78 years outdated and is successfully below home arrest.

Ms. Hasina, 76, and Ms. Zia, who’ve dominated Bangladeshi politics for greater than three a long time, are heirs to political dynasties.

Each are bitter rivals – popularly known as “combating begums”. Begum refers to a high-ranking Muslim lady.

Ms. Hasina got here to energy for a second time in January 2009 and since then her celebration has received two extra elections regardless of allegations of widespread vote fraud.

The political unrest main as much as the election comes at a time when the nation is fighting financial hardship and most voters are struggling to deal with the rising price of dwelling, significantly rising meals costs. Inflation was round 9.6% in September.

The nation's international alternate reserves have additionally fallen from a file $48 billion (£39.49 billion) in August 2021 to about $20 billion now – not even sufficient for 3 months of imports.

Bangladesh was pressured to hunt assist from the Worldwide Financial Fund earlier this yr.

Though massive opposition rallies usually are not unusual in Bangladesh, analysts say they appeal to significantly massive crowds due to widespread discontent over rising meals costs.

“The financial system is getting ready to catastrophe and persons are struggling. That's why tons of of hundreds of persons are collaborating in our rallies regardless of the Awami League's makes an attempt to cease them by transportation stops, arrests and intimidation,” Chowdhury informed BBC.

However Ms. Hasina, the daughter of the nation's founding father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, factors to the nation's sustained financial progress over the previous 15 years below her rule.

The arrest of Mr. Alamgir together with tons of of opposition supporters after the rally has sparked criticism from human rights teams.

“The intensified crackdown on opposition leaders and protesters over the weekend indicators an try to completely crack down on dissent in Bangladesh forward of January’s basic election,” Amnesty Worldwide stated.

The federal government has already been accused of large human rights violations.

The BNP claims that tons of of its supporters have been victims of enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings by safety forces, a few of whom have been sanctioned by the US for his or her actions.

The Bangladesh authorities has flatly rejected the allegations of abuse and killings – but it surely additionally severely restricts visits by international journalists who wish to examine these allegations.

“In any case, there’s a local weather of worry, particularly when dissatisfaction is expressed in digital boards of any form due to the federal government’s software of the draconian digital safety legislation.” [DSA] Locking individuals up,” Shireen Huq, a distinguished ladies’s rights activist, informed the BBC.

Human rights teams say the legislation has been abused to silence critics and stifle free expression. They are saying greater than a thousand authorized circumstances have been filed in opposition to journalists, politicians and activists for the reason that legislation got here into impact in 2018.

After widespread opposition, together with from the UN, the federal government lately changed the DSA with a brand new cybersecurity legislation. However activists say the brand new legislation nonetheless imposes repressive measures.

Ms Huq says she has no confidence the federal government will maintain a free and truthful ballot in January.

Overseas Minister Momen rejects such calls for.

“There isn’t any historical past in any nation the place the incumbent authorities resigns and permits some unelected individuals to run the federal government. We consider in democracy, so such a requirement is unacceptable,” he informed the BBC.

The BNP has threatened to boycott the January election if its calls for usually are not met. Nonetheless, this tactic has not labored of their favor previously.

The celebration's refusal to take part within the December 2014 elections helped the Awami League win one other landslide victory.

Due to their hardened stance, Bangladeshis are dealing with the potential for continued political unrest and probably additional violence on the streets.