BY MD FAZLUR RAHMAN
December 9, 2024
Students led the violent protest in Bangladesh to oust the government of 15 years on August 5 this year. Bangladeshi students who are studying at the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR) also contributed to the movement against all forms of discrimination by drumming up support for those fighting on the streets back home and keeping the morale of the protesters high against a mighty authoritarian regime.
The Bangladeshi students at the university in the Biggest Little City in the World held protest rallies, formed a human-chain, produced a short drama, communicated with local politicians in both Republican and Democratic parties in Nevada, and used social media accounts to condemn the killing of the hundreds of people in Bangladesh, mostly students, throughout July.
It all began in early July after students across the South Asian nation stepped up their efforts to press home demand for an end to the quotas in civil service jobs. A third of the government jobs were reserved for relatives of veterans from Bangladesh’s war for independence from Pakistan in 1971. The protesters called the system discriminatory and had been demanding its reforms for years.
Although the demand was largely met, the protests soon transformed into a wider anti-government movement after law-enforcers killed many students, general citizens and bystanders in July in a crackdown, forcing the government to step down and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to flee to neighboring India, her closest ally.
Students form human-chain
The Bangladeshi-UNR students held a human-chain in front of the Mathewson-IGT Knowledge Center on July 18, 2024, during a demonstration in solidarity with the protesters back home. The participants which numbered at least 60 gathered with banners and Bangladeshi flags. They called on the government to step down.
“All of the participants prepared the banners and flags on their own to participate in the protest rally,” said Tania Akter, a doctoral candidate at the UNR. The chemistry student is also the president of the Graduate Student Association (GSA) at the university, in a first from her country.
“Some people from the Bangladesh community living in Reno also took part in the event.”
The Bangladeshi student community in most major universities in the US released statements to condemn the killing. “But I have not heard that any student organization has held protest,” said Tania, an organizer of the protest at the UNR.
Khaled Mahmud Sajid might be an undergraduate student, but he played a key role in organizing the rally and mobilizing support for the movement. He said: “Everyone at the UNR was saying that they should do something for the protesting student in Bangladesh. We just could not figure out how to do it.”
He proposed reaching out to the political leaders in Nevada and the media to secure support for the movement. His suggestion was accepted, and he also took charge of doing this.
As per plans, he emailed a political correspondent of a major newspaper in Nevada as well as the governor of the state. Sajid also wrote to Mark Amodei, a Republican congressman, and a meeting was scheduled with the congressman’s Senior Policy Advisor Monika Konrad on August 17.
The undergraduate student, who is in his final year studying finance and accounting, did not stop there. He contacted Jacky Rosen, a senator representing the Democratic Party, and Catherine Cortez Masto, another senator from the same party. Both agreed to talk to Bangladeshi students.
“In an email correspondence, Senator Rosen said although a bill was not supposed to be placed in the State Senate, if the issue of Bangladesh comes up, she will speak about it,” said Sajid.
The politicians of both parties were not required to take further steps as the student community of Bangladesh had ousted the government. Sajid, however, thanked the leaders for their time and support.
Short drama was staged
In order to drum up support for the movement, the UNR students also produced a short play on what was happening in Bangladesh. They had planned to release it on Facebook and YouTube on August 5. However, the short drama was not made public since the government had already been overthrown.
Protest organizers at the UNR said the student community at home and abroad were fed up with the government’s mishandling of the economy and the food prices, which have gone through the roof. Deep-rooted corruption in every sphere of life also stoked the public’s discontent.
Protest organizers say the students at the UNR were dedicated in their protest against the government. They added that the government crossed the limit through the police brutality against the protesting students. The collapse of the fascist government was long overdue.
New concerns
Countries that have gone through a violent protest and seen the ouster of a government usually experience instability like Bangladesh is currently suffering. The Bangladeshi students at the UNR are also aware of this. Still, they expect the current leaders to show maturity and bring the situation under control. Otherwise, the ultimate goal of the revolution to build a nation without discrimination may not be achieved.
Currently, the administration does not have control over a large part of Bangladesh as the police force, which is mostly corrupt, and many of its members were loyal to the previous government, is yet to establish its grip since the student community is still suspicious about them. Similarly, the mighty Army does not want to take any steps that may anger students.
The lawlessness is evidenced from the killing of people, public harassment of the individuals deemed to be loyal to the previous regime, and attacks against the minorities. The law-and-order situation is at the lowest ebb while consumer prices are not coming down as many had expected.
“We have had a dream, but the present situation does not give an idea that the dream will ever be achieved,” Tania said.
“Rather than bringing the situation under control, new issues are being created every day. People are no longer united. With each passing day, people are losing confidence in the government.”
The GSA president urged the government of Bangladesh to improve the situation as soon as possible. “Then, it should go for general elections so that an elected party can take over,” said Tania.
Muktadir Rahman Remon, a doctoral candidate at the UNR, had supported the movement as he wanted to see an end to the unbridled corruption. Bangladesh is one of the most-corrupt nations in the world. The sharp drop in the quality of education also worries the physicist.
He recalled that he was worried that the protest might not see the expected outcome as seen in the previous attempts.
“Many of my friends and I were concerned about what might happen after the movement. For instance, the Army might take over or the militants might capture power as seen in other countries,” said Remon.
Since the fall of the government, Bangladesh has seen a rise in radicalism.
Khaled Mahmud Sajid said there are some issues such as ending the scope of any sectarian violence among Muslims and Hindus, and eliminating extortion can be dealt with overnight. On the other hand, some issues such as curbing corruption and reforming the police administration will take time.
He said everyone will have to work to take the country forward.
“There can’t be a Muslim or Hindu spirit. All will have to embrace the Bangladeshi spirit. There has to be brotherhood among people of all faiths. Otherwise, the country will not be able to overcome the current difficulty.”
Click below to see the video on what Bangladeshi students studying at the UNR think what the government of Bangladesh should do to ride out the current crisis.
