Bangladesh Rises Up Against the 'Personal Fiefdom' of Sheikh Hasina Wajed
B J Sadiq looks at what led to the recent ousting of the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, and asks what might be to come for the new interim Government led by Nobel Peace Laureate Muhammad Yunus .
Two weeks ago, thousands of charged up Bangladeshi students took control of the Prime Minister’s house in Dhaka, set in a vast estate, lined with dense trees, full of open green spaces, with the continuous musical hum of a fountain. The interior was richly decorated with antique knick-knacks and distinguished furniture. But as soon as the students pilloried their way in, the property was vandalised; a stick-armed youth bursting with anger and invective, pulled down pictures of their leader and her family. Paintings were smashed, doors bore the marks of knuckle joints and boots, and television sets were pelted on the floor. A cloud of mingling dust and smoke filled the rooms. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajed had resigned and fled the country. One teenager was seen perched on the Prime Minister’s official table, flashing the country’s flag, and whooping with delight. ‘It is the victory of the students, the victory of the people!’.
Social media footage even showed students making off with furniture, bedding, potted plants and even pets from Hasina's home kept menagerie. Out in the streets, there was more bedlam. Banners of her party were pulled down from lamp posts and were either trampled or burnt. One of the most astonishing images from Dhaka was the razing of an imposing statue of Sheikh Mujibur Rehman – the founder of Bangladesh and father of the ousted Prime Minister. To understand the outrage directed against the ruling elite, one must first try to understand the country’s brief history, and how it drifted into its present state of confusion and disorder.
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