Strength of prime minister’s crackdown shows her nervousness and that climate of fear is breaking down, say critics
police fired at him lodged deep in his bones. Fearful he will join the growing ranks of those thrown behind bars by the state for participating in protests that have swept Bangladesh this month, Hasan has been in hiding for a week and described his state as one of “constant panic and trauma”.
While it was a decision made by the courts, it was seen by many as a thinly veiled political manoeuvre by the prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, who has a tight grip over the judiciary. The reintroduction of the quotas was widely seen to appease those in her Awami League – a party born out of Bangladesh’s independence fight – who are much more likely to benefit and ensure Hasina could fill the government with allies.
He was participating in a protest at a university in Dhaka last week when armed men from the pro-government student groups Chhatra League and Youth League and riot police officers violently descended. “They launched a combined attack on us,” he said. “We tried to defend ourselves with whatever we could find, but we were mostly unarmed. At one point, the police and the thugs sandwiched us on a road. We were in the middle of a street and they attacked from both sides.
“Suddenly, a guy fell in front of me, clutching his throat with blood gushing out. He was hit by some type of bullet and was in shock, unable to scream. I don’t know what happened to him after that. I still wake up to the nightmares of that scene.
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