Bangladesh anti-quota protests now out of control—‘Razakar’ vs dictator debate has split nation

‘If not Hasina, who’ has been a standard response from the PM’s supporters. But now that students say they’d much prefer ‘Razakars’ over a dictator like her, it’s time for the PM to take stock of the narrative.

Quota protests in Dhaka, Bangladesh | Photo: Deep Halder | ThePrint

Quota protests in Bangladesh have spiralled out of control, with at least 32 people killed, the state TV station set on fire and the internet temporarily suspended. Students have been clashing with law enforcement officials as well as members of the ruling Awami League’s student wing, Bangladesh Chhatra League. All educational institutes have been closed ever since police fired teargas shells at protesting students who blocked roads and highways on Thursday. People want a complete rehaul of the system, which reserves 56 per cent of government jobs for certain entitled groups – including 30 per cent for the descendants of 1971 freedom fighters. And they want nothing to do with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who’s being actively labelled a ‘dictator’ due to the state’s brutal crackdown on agitators.

Hasina has been Bangladesh’s Prime Minister for over 28 years – from June 1996 to July 2001, and again from January 2009 till date. Apart from allegations of high-level corruption and syndicate raj, her detractors say she has turned Bangladesh into a party state. And now, with news of police brutality on students protesting against the quota system in government jobs, anti-incumbency against Hasina will only rise. “If not Hasina, who” has been a standard response from her supporters in Dhaka. But now that students say they’d much prefer ‘Razakars’ over a dictator like her, it’s time for the PM to take stock of the narrative.

The worst indignity in Bangladeshi society so far has been to be branded a Razakar or a member of the East Pakistani volunteer force during the 1971 War. Razakars worked with the Pakistan Army in brutalising the local population through murders and rapes to prevent the creation of Bangladesh. Today, protesters are chanting “We are Razakars” slogans on the streets as a taunt to Hasina.

Photojournalist Saqlain Rizve, who has been covering the protests in Dhaka, told ThePrint he has been witness to unprecedented scenes of violence by the police. “They are throwing sound grenades and teargas shells not just at protesters but even at journalists covering the protests. This is a rather rocky start to Hasina’s fourth straight term in office,” he said.

A Dhaka journalist who did not wish to be named said the full might of the state has been unleashed on protesters. “Not just the police but paramilitary forces have deployed to take on protesters, armoured personnel carriers are roaming Dhaka streets. Chhatra League are moving around with machetes and attacking quota protesters,” they said.

What is worse, perhaps, is that Bangladeshi society itself is deeply divided now over which is a better choice: Razakar or a dictator.

Who called who Razakar?

Anti-quota agitation is not new to Bangladesh. In 2018, after nationwide protests that eventually turned violent, a government circular cancelled quotas for first and second-class jobs. This year, on 5 June, the Bangladesh High Court ruled on a writ petition and said the 2018 circular was illegal. This meant quotas were to be brought back in government recruitments again. While the government appealed against the judgment, protests broke out in Dhaka and outside.

Then, on 14 July, in response to a journalist’s question during a presser, Hasina said: “Why do they [anti-quota protesters] have so much resentment towards the freedom fighters? If the grandchildren of the freedom fighters don’t get quota benefits, should the grandchildren of Razakars get them?”

Protesting students did not take kindly to Hasina’s Razakar reference, and soon, Dhaka’s streets were filled with the slogan, “Tui Ke? Ami Ke? Razakar, Razakar/Ke boleche, ke boleche, Sairachar, Sairachar (Who are you? Who am I? We are Razakars. Who is branding us? The dictator, the dictator)”.

Sahidul Hasan Khokon, member of the International Affairs Sub Committee, Awami League, told ThePrint that protesting students are degrading themselves by identifying as Razakars, even if in retaliation to Hasina’s statement. “The prime minister did not call students Razakars. Her statement has been taken out of context. But the larger point is that such slogans being chanted on the streets by students go against the very foundational ethos of Bangladesh,” he said.

For Bangladeshi Hindu Rights activist Joyanta Karmoker some things should not be alluded to even in jest. “Those who know what happened in 1971 would not raise such slogans. Razakars specifically targeted Hindus during the liberation war, raping and killing them. Even in such trying times, one would expect some sensitivity from protesting students towards fellow citizens of the country,” Karmoker said.

Karmoker said such slogans are dangerous as it is impossible to know whether there are Razakars among the protesting students. “It is not as if Razakars are a thing of the past. Last year, Delwar Hussain Sayeedi, a Razakar and a convicted war criminal, died and there was an outpouring of public grief in Bangladesh. It showed there is a pro-Razakar sentiment in certain sections of the society still.”

Beyond binaries, a reality check

For Bangladeshi journalist Avijit Majumder Hridoy, what is more alarming is the fact that protesters are saying it is better to be a Razakar than a dictator. But it’s more important to take stock of the situation first, he stressed. “The violence must stop immediately. Many students have died and such brutal clampdown on students is giving Bangladesh a bad name. We can continue to debate who is a Razakar and who isn’t later, but the government must stop targeting students.”

A Bangladeshi TV news anchor who did not wish to be named said it has become a standard practice for the Hasina administration to harp about 1971 whenever there is a crisis in the country. “The quota agitation is a result of joblessness. Bangladesh is battling inflation which rose to 9.73 per cent in 2023-24, the highest since 2011-12, and joblessness. The number of unemployed people rose by around 2.4 lakh to 25.9 lakh in the first quarter of 2024, according to the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics in May,” she said.

Instead of addressing these issues, the news anchor added, the government has unleashed brutal violence on protesting students. “How can Hasina escape the dictator tag when police brutality has become her standard response to any protest?”

Tarique Rehman, acting chairman of Bangladesh Nationalist Party, the country’s principal Opposition party, wrote on X that the Hasina government has once again proved “there is no space for innocent students to express their legitimate demands…I call upon everyone, regardless of party affiliation, to unite against the atrocities of this government.”

This is not the first anti-Hasina protest that has rocked Bangladesh in 2024. Soon after she returned to power for a fourth time, a “Boycott India” protest on social media and the streets exhorted Bangladeshis to say no to any Indian product. This was a reaction against India for allegedly helping Hasina remain in power through a “sham election”. The 7 January election raised some uncomfortable questions about the health of Bangladesh’s electoral democracy.

And now there are these quota protests where many citizens have joined hands with students to condemn police brutality and killings. Hasina needs to control the situation before her country stops asking ‘If not Hasina who’ and starts chanting ‘Anyone but Hasina’.

Deep Halder is an author and journalist. He tweets @deepscribble. Views are personal.

(Edited by Zoya Bhatti)