‘They’re selling the revolution’: Bangladesh a year after Hasina’s downfall

Dhaka, Bangladesh – Sinthia Mehrin Sokal remembers the stroke to her caput connected July 15 past twelvemonth erstwhile she, on with thousands of chap students, marched during a protestation against a arguable quota strategy successful authorities jobs successful Bangladesh’s capital, Dhaka.

The onslaught by an activistic belonging to the pupil helping of the then-Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League enactment near Sokal – a final-year pupil of criminology astatine the University of Dhaka – with 10 stitches and impermanent representation loss.

A time later, Abu Sayed, different 23-year-old student, was protesting astatine Begum Rokeya University successful the Rangpur district, astir 300km (186 miles) northbound of Dhaka, erstwhile helium was changeable by the police. A video of him, with his arms outstretched and collapsing connected the crushed moments later, went viral, igniting an unprecedented movement against Hasina, who governed the state with an robust fist for much than 15 years earlier she was toppled past August.

Students from schools, colleges, universities and madrassas took to the streets, defying a brutal crackdown. Soon, the young protesters were joined by their parents, teachers and different citizens. Opposition parties, including the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, lent important support, forming an improbable agreed beforehand against Hasina’s government.

“Even students successful distant areas came retired successful support. It felt similar existent alteration was coming,” Sokal told Al Jazeera.

On August 5, 2024, arsenic tens of thousands of protesters stormed Hasina’s palatial residence and offices successful Dhaka, the 77-year-old person boarded a subject chopper and fled to neighbouring India, her main ally, wherever she continues to defy a Bangladesh court’s orders to look proceedings for crimes against humanity and different charges.

Antigovernment protesters tempest Hasina’s residence successful Dhaka, August 5, 2024 [K M Asad/AFP]

By the clip Hasina fled, much than 1,400 radical had been killed, astir when authorities forces fired connected protesters, and thousands of others were wounded, according to the United Nations.

Three days aft Hasina fled, the protesters installed an interim government, connected August 8, 2024, led by the country’s lone Nobel laureate, Muhammad Yunus. In May this year, the interim authorities banned the Awami League from immoderate governmental enactment until trials implicit past year’s killings of the protesters concluded. The party’s pupil wing, the Chhatra League, was banned nether anti-terrorism laws successful October 2024.

Yet, arsenic Bangladesh marks the archetypal day of the extremity of Hasina’s authorities connected Tuesday, Sokal said the consciousness of unity and anticipation that defined the 2024 uprising has fixed mode to disillusionment and despair.

“They’re selling the revolution,” she said, referring to the assorted governmental groups present jostling for powerfulness up of general elections expected adjacent year.

“The alteration we fought for remains retired of reach,” said added. “The [interim] authorities nary longer owns the uprising.”

Sinthia Mehrin Sokal suffered impermanent representation nonaccomplishment aft she was deed connected the caput by a policeman during past year’s antigovernment protests [Courtesy of Sinthia Mehrin Sokal]

‘What was my son’s sacrifice for?’

Yunus, the 85-year-old Nobel Peace Prize victor presiding implicit Bangladesh’s antiauthoritarian overhaul, faces mounting governmental pressure, adjacent arsenic his interim authorities seeks statement connected drafting a caller constitution. Rival factions that marched enarthrosis to enarthrosis during anti-Hasina protests are present locked successful governmental battles implicit the mode guardant for Bangladesh.

On Tuesday, Yunus is expected to unveil a alleged July Proclamation, a papers to people the day of Hasina’s ouster, which volition outline the cardinal reforms that his medication argues Bangladesh needs – and a roadmap to execute that.

But not galore are hopeful.

“Our children took to the streets for a just, antiauthoritarian and sovereign Bangladesh. But that’s not what we’re getting,” said Sanjida Khan Deepti, whose 17-year-old lad Anas was changeable dormant by the constabulary during a peaceful march adjacent Dhaka’s Chankharpul country connected August 5, 2024. Witnesses said Anas was unarmed and moving for screen erstwhile a constabulary slug struck him successful the back. He died connected the spot, inactive clutching a nationalist flag.

“The reforms and justness for the July killings that we had hoped – it’s not duly happening,” the 36-year-old parent told Al Jazeera. “We took to the streets for a better, peaceful and conscionable country. If that doesn’t happen, past what was my son’s sacrifice for?”

Others, however, proceed to clasp steadfast successful their spot successful the interim government.

“No regrets,” said Khokon Chandra Barman, who mislaid astir his full look aft helium was changeable by the constabulary successful the Narayanganj district.

“I americium arrogant that my sacrifice helped bring down a authorities built connected discrimination,” helium told Al Jazeera.

Barman feels the state is successful amended hands present nether the Yunus-led interim government. “The aged evils won’t vanish overnight. But we are hopeful.”

Barman mislaid astir his full look aft helium was changeable by the constabulary [Courtesy of Khokon Chandra Barman]

Atikul Gazi agreed. “Yunus sir is susceptible and trying his best,” Gazi told Al Jazeera connected Sunday. “If the governmental parties afloat cooperated with him, things would beryllium adjacent better.”

The 21-year-old TikToker from Dhaka’s Uttara country survived being changeable astatine point-blank scope connected August 5, 2024, but mislaid his near arm.

A selfie video of him smiling, contempt missing an arm, posted connected September 16 past year, went viral, making him a awesome of resilience.

“I’m not afraid… I’m backmost successful the field. One manus whitethorn beryllium gone, but my beingness is acceptable to beryllium offered anew.”

Atikul Gazi was changeable by constabulary astatine point-blank scope connected August 5, 2024 [Courtesy of Atikul Gazi]

‘Instability could increase’

Others are little optimistic. “That was a infinitesimal of unprecedented unity,” said Mohammad Golam Rabbani, a prof of past astatine Jahangirnagar University connected the outskirts of Dhaka.

Rabbani had recited a poem during a field protestation connected July 29, 2024. Speaking astatine an lawsuit past period to commemorate the uprising, helium said: “Safeguarding that unity should person been the caller government’s archetypal task. But they fto it slip.”

The conjugation of students, professionals and activists, called Students Against Discrimination, that brought down Hasina’s government, began to fragment adjacent earlier Yunus took charge.

Hoping to currency successful connected monolithic anti-Awami League sentiment, the main absorption BNP has been demanding contiguous elections since the uprising. But parties similar the National Citizens Party, formed by pupil leaders of the 2024 protests, and Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami privation deeper structural reforms earlier immoderate ballot is held.

To reconcile specified demands, the Yunus medication formed a National Consensus Commission connected February 12 this year. Its mandate is to merge aggregate betterment agendas outlined by adept panels into a azygous governmental blueprint. Any enactment oregon conjugation that wins the adjacent wide predetermination indispensable formally pledge to instrumentality this charter.

But truthful far, the meetings of the committee person been marked by rifts and dissent, chiefly implicit having a bicameral parliament, adopting proportional practice successful some its houses, and reforming the assignment process for cardinal law bodies by curbing the premier minister’s power to guarantee greater neutrality and non-partisanship.

“If the governmental forces neglect to hold connected reforms, instability could increase,” warned expert Rezaul Karim Rony.

But Mubashar Hasan, adjunct chap astatine Western Sydney University’s Humanitarian and Development Research Initiative, thinks a governmental deadlock is “unlikely”, and that astir stakeholders look to beryllium moving towards elections adjacent year.

Hasan, however, remains sceptical of the reforms themselves, calling them a “cosmetic reset”.

“There’ll beryllium immoderate antiauthoritarian progress, but not a genuine shift,” helium told Al Jazeera. He pointed retired that the Awami League, which erstwhile represented millions, remains banned – a information that immoderate analysts person pointed retired could weaken the credibility of Bangladesh’s electoral democracy. 

Deepti, who mislaid her teenage lad during the protests, said governmental parties are scrambling for power, and not acting against the radical who enabled Hasina’s brutal repression during past year’s protests.

“Most of the officials and instrumentality enforcement members progressive successful the unit are inactive astatine large, portion governmental parties are much focused connected grabbing power,” she told Al Jazeera.

Sharif Osman Bin Hadi, the spokesperson for Inquilab Manch (Revolution Front), a non-partisan taste organisation inspired by the uprising, warned that elections without justness and reforms would “push the state backmost into the jaws of fascism”.

His group, with much than 1,000 members successful 25 districts, organises poesy readings, exhibitions and thoroughfare performances to commemorate the 2024 uprising and request accountability, amid wide concerns implicit deteriorating instrumentality and bid crossed the country.

‘A metropolis of demonstrations’

While the constabulary stay discredited and are yet to retrieve from the taint of complicity successful perpetuating Hasina’s strong-armed governance, subject soldiers are seen patrolling Bangladesh’s streets, equipped with peculiar powerfulness to arrest, detain and, successful utmost cases, adjacent occurrence connected those breaking the law.

In a caller report, rights radical Odhikar said astatine slightest 72 radical were killed and 1,677 others injured successful incidents of governmental unit betwixt April and June this year. The radical besides documented 8 alleged extrajudicial killings during this play involving the constabulary and notorious paramilitary forces similar the Rapid Action Battalion.

A Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami enactment rally successful Dhaka connected July 19, 2025 [Munir Uz Zaman/AFP]

Other crimes person besides surged.

Police recorded 1,587 cases of execution betwixt January and May this year, a 25 percent emergence from the aforesaid play past year. Robbery astir doubled to 318, portion crimes against women and children topped 9,100. Kidnapping and robbery person besides seen a spike.

“Mob justness and targeted killings person surged, galore with governmental links,” Md Ijajul Islam, the enforcement manager of the nonprofit Human Rights Support Society, told Al Jazeera. “Unless governmental parties rein successful their activists, a demoralised constabulary won’t beryllium capable to incorporate it.”

The demoralisation wrong the constabulary stems mostly from the 2024 uprising itself, erstwhile much than 500 constabulary stations were attacked crossed Bangladesh and instrumentality enforcement officials were missing from the streets for much than a week.

“The unit had to restart from a morally-broken state,” Ijajul said.

Several constabulary officers Al Jazeera spoke to astatine the grassroots level pointed to different problem: the illness of what they called an informal governmental bid successful agrarian areas.

“During the Awami League era, constabulary often worked successful tandem with the ruling enactment leaders, who mediated section disputes,” said a elder constabulary serviceman astatine the Roumari constabulary presumption successful the Kurigram territory adjacent the borderline with India.

“That operation is gone. Now aggregate factions – from BNP, Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami and others – are trying to power markets, transport hubs and authorities tenders,” helium said connected information of anonymity due to the fact that helium was not authorised to talk to the media.

A mural of Hasina vandalised by protesters successful Dhaka, August 5, 2024 [Mohammad Ponir Hossain/Reuters]

In Dhaka, things are nary better.

“Every day, managing thoroughfare protests has go 1 of our large duties,” Talebur Rahman, a lawman commissioner with the Dhaka Metropolitan Police, told Al Jazeera.

“It feels similar Dhaka has go ‘a metropolis of demonstrations’ – radical interruption into authorities offices, conscionable to marque their demands heard,” said Rahman.

Still, Rahman claimed the city’s instrumentality and bid concern was amended than instantly aft the 2024 uprising. In a televised interrogation connected July 15, Yunus’s spokesperson, Shafiqul Alam, besides claimed that “if you see wide statistics, things are stabilising”, helium told Somoy Television network, referring to instrumentality and bid successful Dhaka.

Alam said that galore radical who were denied justness for years, including during the uprising, are present coming guardant to registry cases.

Some agree.

“Things are dilatory improving,” said 38-year-old rickshaw-puller Mohammad Shainur successful Dhaka’s upscale Bashundhara neighbourhood.

The economy, for one, has shown immoderate affirmative signs. Bangladesh is the world’s 35th largest system and the 2nd successful South Asia – chiefly driven by its thriving garment and agriculture industries.

Foreign reserves climbed from much than $24bn successful May 2024, to astir $32bn by June this year, helped by a crackdown connected illicit superior flight, grounds remittances and caller backing from the International Monetary Fund. Inflation, which peaked astatine 11.7 percent successful July 2024, dropped to 8.5 percent by June this year.

But determination is besides wide joblessness, with the International Labour Organization saying that astir 30 percent of Bangladesh’s younker are neither employed nor pursuing education. Moreover, a 20 percent tariff announced by the United States, the largest purchaser of Bangladesh’s garments, besides threatens the livelihood of 4 cardinal workers employed successful the cardinal sector.

Back successful Dhaka, Gazi is determined to sphere the representation of 2024’s protests.

“Let the radical retrieve those martyred successful the uprising, and those of america who were injured,” helium told Al Jazeera. “We privation to stay arsenic surviving symbols of that freedom.”

“I mislaid 1 hand, and I person nary regrets. I volition springiness my beingness if needed – this state indispensable beryllium governed well, nary substance who holds power.”