Bangladesh protests

The government of Bangladesh has imposed an army-enforced curfew to quell students-led protests against government job quotas that have killed more than 100 people and injured thousands. The nationwide student protests have been the biggest since Sheikh Hasina has been elected for a fourth successive term this year. They have also been fuelled by high unemployment among young people, who make up nearly a fifth of the population. Rights groups have accused the government of misusing state institutions to entrench its hold on power and stamp out dissent. The government has also shut the internet down to try and mitigate new waves of protests and has made no real effort to conduct a dialogue with the protesters.

Certain measures taken in the state action to quell the protests are quite familiar to those living in Third World countries, like ours. In fact, there is a lesson for such quasi democratic societies where kleptocracy is rife, economy tethers on the brink and unemployment, particularly in the youth, is high with no real hope of improvement in the near term. During an era of rampant inflation in the country, government jobs are considered stable and are much sought for. And any protests for demands, in such societies, are often treated with heavy-handedness. We have seen such ugly scenes in Pakistan quite too often.

In a democratic society, rather than resorting to use of force, recourse to dialogue and addressing the genuine grievances of those up in arms should be the way to go, as any event, during a time when public frustration is dangerously high, can catalyse widespread civil unrest fueled by unemployment and a shaky economy. It is hoped saner minds will prevail in Bangladesh.