Dhaka: At the Gendaria intersection in the capital city of Bangladesh, a group of girl students of Classes 9 and 10 form a human chain, preventing any vehicles from passing and causing a traffic jam that stretches across kilometres. With no police in sight, a few student volunteers are attempting to manage the situation and reason with protesters.
“Let traffic pass. Go back to your class,” urges Siam, a student of Jagannath University. But the girls, students of of Monija Rahman Girls’ School and College, respond defiantly: “Not till our corrupt principal is made to resign”. They begin chanting slogans as others join in.
Asked why they believe the principal is corrupt, they do not have a reply at first.
After a long pause, one girl says, “We know she was close to Awami League. Since Hasina’s rule is over, she also must step down.”
Just a few kilometres away, scores of rickshaw pullers are holding up traffic in Shahbag, a site that had become synonymous with student protests before the collapse of the Sheikh Hasina-led government on 5 August. “We want recognition as martyrs for our role in the 1971 Liberation war and the 2024 revolution, which led to the fall of Hasina,” says Bilal.
They are also demanding the removal of battery rickshaws from the roads, arguing that people prefer to take those faster vehicles, which are eating into the rickshaw pullers’ space and revenue. “Our demands will have to be met,” says Jivon, a rickshaw puller.
These are not isolated incidents. Across Dhaka, several protesters are demanding removal of institutional heads, accusing them of corruption and loyalty to Hasina’s government.
From members of paramilitary auxiliary force General Ansar to school students, health workers, bureaucrats, and rickshaw pullers, protests by various groups seeking “reforms” or resignation of their superiors has been a common sight in Dhaka these past few weeks.
More than 40 people were injured Sunday night as General Ansar members clashed with college students, after they raised the demand for replacement of their contractual posts with permanent positions.
While some protesters are seeking government jobs, claiming that they were “side-lined and victimised” during Hasina’s regime, others are asking for reforms, such as salary hikes and permanent recruitment, instead of temporary positions and promotions. Some are even demanding changes in appointments of senior officials, removal of their professors and teachers due to their perceived closeness to Hasina’s Awami League.
On several occasions, protesters forcibly entered the Secretariat and compelled departments to take action, like cancelling pending higher secondary certificate exams. In one instance, Class 10 students even beat up their teacher, accusing her of being “Hasina’s confidante”.
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‘It’s a mess’
Dhaka Metropolitan Police Monday issued an order prohibiting any type of meetings, gatherings, processions or demonstrations around government offices, the Secretariat and residences.
“Everyone now has some demand or the other. Contractual government employees want to be regularised, some want promotions, some need salary hikes. The students want teachers to be removed based on bizarre allegations. Some departments are seeking termination and transfers of their seniors, accusing them of being Hasina’s people,” a source in the establishment tells ThePrint on the condition of anonymity.
“Everyone is doing whatever they feel like. It’s a free run, a mess.”
“Isn’t it laughable that rickshaw pullers now want their competitors off the road and want to be recognised for their role in the 1971 war? Protests have just become a flavour of the season,” the source says. This will need to be handled by the interim government with care, he adds, or else it can become extremely counterproductive.
According to a second source, the interim government is still trying to “figure out many things,” but some people are “trying to take advantage of the situation”.
“Some of it was expected due to the power vacuum before the interim government took over. Now, people have a lot of hope from the government and so, people with genuine grievances are coming forward. But it is true that some opportunists are trying to take advantage,” the source says.
“There are several demonstrations being held in front of the Chief Adviser’s (Muhammad Yunus) Office by people from across government departments and those with private jobs, who have endless demands,” he adds.
For now, the interim government has told most of these groups to call off their protests.
“Most of these groups, including the Ansar members, have been told that all of their demands will be considered, but that will take some time as the government is planning massive reforms,” an official in the administration says.
ThePrint reached Shoufique Alam, press secretary to interim government head Dr Muhammad Yunus, to inquire how the government plans to deal with these protests and the way ahead, but did not receive a response.
Sunday night’s clash
The protests by Ansar personnel started last Wednesday with the demand for nationalisation of jobs and abolition of ‘rest tradition’, which turned violent by Sunday evening.
According to the Ansar regulation, a General Ansar member is sent on a six-month mandatory leave after working for three years. During this period, they are not paid salaries. This, the members said, must be done away with. They also sought regularisation and permanent government jobs.
Rubel Hossain, assistant director of Bangladesh Ansar and Village Defence Force, explains to ThePrint that General Ansar is a voluntary force. After the completion of a three-month training period, they get enlisted as volunteer members of the force. Whenever there is a demand for security by the government, these people are enrolled.
“This is a contractual service and after every three years, they are sent on six months’ rest, which is unpaid. The demand of the Ansar is that the six-month gap should be removed and the department should be permanently deployed in government service,” he says.
Ansar members started Sunday’s protest outside the National Press Club on Topkhana Road and jammed the arterial roads. They tried to enter the Secretariat, but did not succeed.
Following this, a meeting was held between members of the Ansars and Home Adviser Mohammad Jahangir Alam Chowdhury at 3 pm in which the adviser assured them that the rest policy would be abolished. He also said that the committee would review other demands, but the Ansars did not end the protest.
“They were told that other demands will also be met after due consultation but people wanted an order on the spot, at least a formal declaration,” Hossain tells ThePrint.
He says that they continued to block roads, hindering the movement of flood relief material, which angered the students of Dhaka University. Moreover, the students did not approve of the Ansars holding up officials inside the Secretariat, despite the acceptance of their key demand.
“This is what led to the clash between the two. Many students from Dhaka University came to the spot. As they tried to disperse the Ansars, they clashed,” Hossain says.
It was late in the night when the Army was brought in to control the situation. “Cases have been registered. Some Ansars have also been arrested. The violent ones are being identified and will be brought to book,” he adds.
There are three branches of Ansar—General Ansar, Battalion Ansar and the Village Defence Party (VDP). Only the Battalion Ansar has permanent posts. The other two have volunteers and contractual positions.
Protests in Dhaka to ‘reclaim main road’
Baten, a rickshaw puller, is convinced that his demands will be met. “Army told us we should go back and we will get what we want.”
He is among the hundreds of rickshaw pullers, who put on a bandana with Bangladesh’s flag, blocking traffic to protest for their rights.
“In 1971, rickshaw pullers jumped into the liberation war to make the country independent. But they have been neglected since independence. They did not get their due. This population is deprived of human rights,” Baten says.
“The rickshaw pullers also played a part in the revolution, which led to the fall of Hasina, and lost their lives, but no one remembers us. We demand an end to this discrimination,” he adds.
Another protester Jamal says that a list of rickshaw pullers, who died in the revolution, should be published and that their families should be brought under state support.
“We also demand healthcare, children’s education and accommodation. Along with that, parking and restrooms should be provided at every junction. Physical torture by traffic police must be stopped,” he says.
However, their key demand is the removal of battery rickshaws from the roads. They say it is a protest to “reclaim the main road”.
“If everyone takes a battery rickshaw, where will we go? We have been taken off the main road and asked to run in the service lane. Why? Hasina is the one who gave permission to these battery rickshaws to run on mail road. Since she is gone, so should these rickshaws,” Jamal says.
(Edited by Mannat Chugh)
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