Pro-uprising groups clash on second anniversary of Bangladesh uprising

The Story in Brief

Two years after a mass uprising forced Sheikh Hasina to flee, Bangladesh’s campuses and streets have seen renewed political violence among parties and student groups that helped remove her. Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, who leads the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), had pledged during the February election campaign to end state-backed violence; six months into the BNP-led government that promise is being tested. Anniversary-week clashes between the BNP student wing, Jatiotabadi Chatra Dal (JCD), and the opposition Bangladesh Islami Chatra Shibir wounded scores of students: on 4 August more than 100 people were injured across at least three institutions including Jagannath University and Dhaka College, and on 5 August at least 30 activists were hurt in places including Barishal University and Govt. Tolaram College. Trouble reportedly began at Begum Rokeya University in Rangpur and escalated at Jagannath during a July Mass Uprising Day event attended by University Grants Commission chairman Prof. Mamun Ahmed. Rights groups and university authorities cited political rivalries, weak enforcement and a culture of impunity; the Human Rights Support Society recorded deaths, injuries and thousands of arrests in July.

The Indian Opinion

The story shows violent fractures among forces that once united against an earlier government. Claims and counterclaims – including allegations of hospital assaults, disputes over who announced the uprising’s demand, and a documentary scene that provoked diplomats to leave – are presented by opposing groups and remain contested. Statements that forecast another revolution or warn of a return to autocracy are charged and risk escalating tensions; readers should note such rhetoric is political messaging rather than established outcome. Official figures from the Human Rights Support Society offer a quantitative picture of recent harm, but attribution of responsibility for specific incidents is not always clear from the reporting. Independent investigations and transparent policing will be important to establish facts and reduce campus violence.

Original article: Bangladesh pro-uprising groups turn on each other on second anniversary (www.thehindu.com)

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