New clashes break out in Dhaka: Why are Bangladeshis protesting even after Sheikh Hasina’s ouster? (2024)

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It’s been three weeks since Sheikh Hasina resigned from the position of prime minister and fled the country, plunging the country into political turmoil. However, just as the country was emerging from the shadows of the turmoil, new clashes erupted in Dhaka, resulting in multiple injuries and putting the nation back on edge.

Sunday (August 25) saw students clashing with members of the Ansar group — a paramilitary auxiliary force in the country — near the Secretariat in the capital city, leaving nearly 50 people injured.

What exactly happened? Why did violent clashes take place? Here’s what we found out so far.

What led to the clashes on Sunday?

On Sunday, around 9 pm, students from different halls of Dhaka University gathered at Raju Memorial Sculpture of the Teacher-Student Centre (TSC) as the news spread that a group of Ansar members locked some people, including Students Against Discrimination coordinator and advisor to the interim governmentNahid Islam, coordinator Sarjis Alam and Hasnat Abdullah.

The students, at least thousands in numbers, went to the Secretariat area, in a procession to resist the Ansar members, whom they termed as “agents of the dictators”.

Earlier, Hasnat Abdullah in a Facebook post blamed the former director general of Ansar Major General AKM Aminul Haque, the elder brother of former Deputy Minister of the Water Resources Ministry AKM Enamul Hoque Shameem of Sheikh Hasina’s government, for the continued blockade of the Secretariat, despite the demands of the protesting Ansar members being met. He also urged everyone to gather in front of the Raju Memorial Sculpture at Dhaka University.

What is the Ansar group?

The Bangladesh Ansar and Village Defence Force, also known as the Ansar Bahini or Ansar VDP, is a paramilitary auxiliary force responsible for the preservation of internal security and law enforcement in Bangladesh. The name originates from the Arabic word “Ansar,” which means “volunteer” or “helper.”

According to a Prothom Alo report, there are 6.1 million members of the Ansar. According to current laws, the Ansar force is recognised as a “disciplined force.”

Recently, the Ansar members have been protesting, demanding the nationalisation of their jobs along with other demands. The Hindu reports that on Sunday, they decided to suspend their ongoing protest and return to work after holding discussions with Home Affairs Adviser Lt Gen Md Jahangir Alam (retired). A preliminary decision was made during the meeting to revoke the six-month rest rule currently imposed on Ansar personnel, which was a key demand of the protesters. A committee has been formed to address this issue, with instructions to submit a report within seven days.

What happened next?

Despite the many assurances from the government, the Ansar members refused to budge from their blockade at the Secretariat, claimed students. This led to thousands of students, some carrying sticks, converging on the Secretariat.

Initially, Ansar members moved back as students reached the area. However, they then chased the students, leading to an outbreak of violence. Both sides hurled bricks at each other and chased each other during the confrontation.

Soon after, the police and army were deployed at the scene of the confrontation. Reports state that several grenades were hurled to bring the situation under control.

The clashes resulted in at least 50 people from both sides being injured. The injured were subsequently rushed to Dhaka Medical College Hospital for treatment.

It was only after 10 pm on Sunday that the clashes abated and as per a Dhaka Tribune report, advisers Nahid Islam and Asif Mahmud emerged from the Secretariat and called for calm. Nahid Islam said the demonstration by Ansar members are part of a conspiracy as they continued their programme even after getting assurance of meeting their demand.

Major Gen Abdul Motaleb Sazzad Mahmud, the chief of the Ansar, later told The Daily Star that those who continued the protests were “not Ansar members”. “They are outsiders. They came with an additional set of clothes and their intention was different,” he was quoted as saying.

A day after the clashes, the interim government ordered the transfer of nine senior Ansar officials, including a deputy commandant.

Will peace return to Bangladesh?

The Dhaka Police has imposed a ban on holding any type of meeting, gathering, procession, rally or demonstration in areas surrounding Bangladesh Secretariat and Chief Adviser’s official residence Jamuna.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh interim government’s Chief AdviserMuhammad Yunus in a televised address — his second since assuming power — urged people to have patience. The Nobel winner urged people to refrain from storming institutions, putting pressure to accept cases and the tendency to do some kind of trial in advance by attacking people while taking them to the courts.

“I’ll just say, you have to be patient. It is difficult to overcome mountain-like challenges overnight,” he said, referring to the demands coming from various sections to punish those responsible for the deaths of many people during the recent anti-government protests.

He assured the nation that the interim government will hold free, fair and inclusive elections in the country after undertaking reforms in various sectors.

The country of Bangladesh has been besieged by protests and violence since July as anti-government protesters first took to the streets, agitating against the 30 per cent quota for government jobs for descendants of freedom fighters. On July 21, the Supreme Court in its order scaled this back to seven per cent.

These protests led toSheikh Hasina’s ouster in early August — she bolted from the country and sought safety in India.

Following her departure, more violence broke out in the country, with theminority Hindu community being attacked. A report by the United Nations (UN) Human Rights Office stated that July 16 and August 11, nearly 650 people had been killed in the Southeast Asian nation.

The Bangladesh National Hindu Grand Alliance said the minority community faced attacks and threats in 278 locations across 48 districts since the fall of the Sheikh Hasina-led government, terming it as an “assault on the Hindu religion”.

Amid the reports of the violence, Yunus also spoke to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, assuring to protect and ensure the security and safety of Hindus and all minorities living in the country. “Received a telephone call from Professor Muhammad Yunus. Exchanged views on the prevailing situation. Reiterated India’s support for a democratic, stable, peaceful and progressive Bangladesh. He assured protection, safety and security of Hindus and all minorities in Bangladesh,” PM Modi said in a post on X.

With inputs from agencies

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