Bangladesh marks a 12 months since scholar rebellion overthrew regime : NPR

[ad_1] <img src="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/9504x6336+0+0/resize/1100/quality/50/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fb6%2F59%2Fbb74acd644efa482d13f4d29a14c%2Fdsc09471.jpg" data-template="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/9504x6336+0+0/resize/{width}/quality/{quality}/format/{format}/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fb6%2F59%2Fbb74acd644efa482d13f4d29a14c%2Fdsc09471.jpg" class="img" alt="Abu Sayed's parents, Mokbul Hussein and Monowara Khatun, sit in the courtyard of their home in Rangpur, Bangladesh, on July 30. On the wall behind them hangs a memorial plaque dedicated to their son who was killed by police during protests last year." fetchpriority="high"/> Abu Sayed's mother and father, Mokbul Hussein and Monowara Khatun, sit within the courtyard of their residence in Rangpur, Bangladesh, on July 30. On the wall behind them hangs a memorial plaque devoted to their son who was killed by police throughout protests final 12 months. Parvez Ahmad Rony for NPR conceal caption

toggle caption

Parvez Ahmad Rony for NPR BABANPUR, Bangladesh — The monsoon rains lash down on this distant village in northern Bangladesh. Exterior a modest mud home, a number of cows chew lazily on cud inside their pens, whereas a hen struts throughout the sodden courtyard, her 5 chicks in tow.

Abu Sayed's aged mother and father sit quietly on the veranda, staring on the deluge, their minds seemingly elsewhere.

To an unsuspecting passerby, it seems like a peaceable scene — albeit an impoverished one.

However after a more in-depth have a look at the house, a stark picture comes into focus: Dozens of posters and photographs of Sayed line the trail to the home, and encompass his grave close by.

Some present him along with his arms outstretched, bearing his chest as he confronts police on July 16 final 12 months outdoors his college within the northern district of Rangpur, simply moments earlier than officers shot him 4 occasions at shut vary.

His dying, and the occasions surrounding it, had been a part of probably the most vital political upheavals in Bangladesh in many years.

<img src="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/6720x4480+0+0/resize/1100/quality/50/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ffd%2Ff6%2F2b3d2c39443bb5a9f8860b606dfb%2Fgettyimages-2161933380.jpg" data-template="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/6720x4480+0+0/resize/{width}/quality/{quality}/format/{format}/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ffd%2Ff6%2F2b3d2c39443bb5a9f8860b606dfb%2Fgettyimages-2161933380.jpg" class="img" alt="Smoke rises from burning vehicles near the Disaster Management Directorate office during anti-government protests in Dhaka on July 18, 2024. Bangladeshi students set fire to the country's state broadcaster that day, a day after then-Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina appeared on the network seeking to calm the unrest." loading="lazy"/> Smoke rises from burning automobiles close to the Catastrophe Administration Directorate workplace throughout anti-government protests in Dhaka on July 18, 2024. Bangladeshi college students set fireplace to the nation's state broadcaster that day, a day after then-Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina appeared on the community searching for to calm the unrest. AFP/Getty Pictures conceal caption

toggle caption

AFP/Getty Pictures Thirty-six days of nationwide unrest left as many as 1,400 folks useless and hundreds extra injured, largely by the hands of the safety forces, based on the United Nations.

Different posters bear the phrases shahid — the Arabic phrase for "martyr" — throughout them.

They're a relentless reminder to his household of his function within the student-led protests that began earlier that month — and the value he paid.

His father, Mokbul Hussein, tells NPR the 24-year-old was a quiet, well mannered younger man who excelled in his research.

"My son graduated with honors," he says, his voice trembling with emotion. "He actually struggled. I could not afford his training, so he labored and paid for it himself. He was about to get a job when the protests started. Now he is a martyr. After I consider it, my eyes fill with tears and my coronary heart aches."

<img src="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/9504x6336+0+0/resize/1100/quality/50/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F84%2Faf%2Fb2667e3a44d7be53fabe3dd20972%2Fdsc09485.jpg" data-template="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/9504x6336+0+0/resize/{width}/quality/{quality}/format/{format}/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F84%2Faf%2Fb2667e3a44d7be53fabe3dd20972%2Fdsc09485.jpg" class="img" alt="Abu Sayed's father, Makbul Hossain, stands beside his son’s gravesite — located right next to their home — praying." loading="lazy"/> Mokbul Hussein stands beside his son's gravesite, positioned proper subsequent to their residence, praying. Parvez Ahmad Rony for NPR conceal caption

toggle caption

Parvez Ahmad Rony for NPR Sayed's mom, Monowara Khatun, sighs deeply. "I have a look at my son's picture daily," she says. "However it brings no peace. My days are stuffed with ache. He cherished me a lot."

Sayed's taking pictures was captured reside on tv. The footage confirmed him unarmed and posing no menace. It rapidly went viral and marked a turning level within the protests, which had begun as calls for to reform civil service job quotas, 30% of which had been reserved for descendants of freedom fighters from the 1971 Struggle of Independence.

Sayed died inside 20 minutes of being shot.

Instantly afterward, the protests shifted. The demand was easy: Sheikh Hasina, who had dominated as prime minister for 15 years, needed to go.

They ended with Hasina fleeing to India by helicopter. She now faces expenses of crimes towards humanity in Bangladesh.

<img src="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/6720x4480+0+0/resize/1100/quality/50/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F67%2F95%2F9bab67ef48dca2e4fc01aeb50891%2Fgettyimages-2164931664.jpg" data-template="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/6720x4480+0+0/resize/{width}/quality/{quality}/format/{format}/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F67%2F95%2F9bab67ef48dca2e4fc01aeb50891%2Fgettyimages-2164931664.jpg" class="img" alt="Anti-government protesters display Bangladesh's national flag as they storm the prime minister's palace in Dhaka, on Aug. 5, 2024." loading="lazy"/> Anti-government protesters show Bangladesh's nationwide flag as they storm the prime minister's palace in Dhaka, on Aug. 5, 2024. Ok M Asad/AFP through Getty Pictures conceal caption

toggle caption

Ok M Asad/AFP through Getty Pictures In the meantime, a tribunal has been set as much as carry to justice these accountable for the deaths in the course of the protests — however the course of is taking time.

The interim authorities, fashioned shortly afterward beneath the management of Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, was broadly hailed as a brand new chapter for Bangladesh: an opportunity to restore years of authoritarian rule, enforced disappearances, corruption and human rights abuses.

A rising sense of disillusionment However 12 months on, a rising sense of disillusionment is sweeping throughout the nation.

Critics accuse the brand new authorities of failing to sort out mob violence, and assaults on ladies and minority teams.

On the identical time unemployment stays excessive.

Anu Muhammad, an economist primarily based within the city of Savar, simply north of Dhaka, says inner divisions inside the coalition are partly in charge.

"Some teams had been very a lot illiberal, some teams had been secular," he says, "so these had been the variations. Individuals are getting increasingly more annoyed due to the inaction, due to the dearth of coordination amongst themselves, lack of coordination with the federal government and paperwork, authorities and police, authorities and judiciary."

The safety of Bangladesh's minority communities, particularly Hindus, was one concern about which hopes had been highest.

At Dhaka's Dhakeshwara Temple, the most important Hindu temple within the nation, police stand guard on the gates. Inside, nonetheless, the temper is jovial: worshippers take selfies and chat amongst themselves.

A marriage is underway. The bride is resplendent in pink and gold. The groom is adorned with a garland of recent flowers.

Adrita Roy, a drama scholar, who took half in final 12 months's protests, says it is a false impression that Hasina's Awami League political get together protected her group.

"My grandfather was a Hindu freedom fighter," she says. "All of his properties had been confiscated by Awami League leaders, and so they actually made a celebration workplace out of his ancestral residence. These had been the issues that had been occurring."

However she provides that regardless of guarantees made by Yunus to guard minorities, little has modified.

<img src="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/9504x6336+0+0/resize/1100/quality/50/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fb9%2Fd3%2Fcbcdebe546478921b33bac76c2bd%2Fdsc09413.jpg" data-template="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/9504x6336+0+0/resize/{width}/quality/{quality}/format/{format}/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fb9%2Fd3%2Fcbcdebe546478921b33bac76c2bd%2Fdsc09413.jpg" class="img" alt="Monowara Khatun shows Abu Sayed's T-shirt, riddled with holes from bullets she says were fired by police at close range. Sayed was unarmed when police shot him at close range." loading="lazy"/> Monowara Khatun reveals Abu Sayed's T-shirt, riddled with holes from bullets she says had been fired by police at shut vary. Sayed was unarmed when police shot him at shut vary. Parvez Ahmad Rony for NPR conceal caption

toggle caption

Parvez Ahmad Rony for NPR "Earlier than the Yunus authorities got here to energy, he promised he would deal with the minorities," she says, "which was very reassuring. However then the Awami League propaganda began flooding in. That is when the federal government ought to have performed a stronger function and prevented the very massive incidents which have occurred over the past couple of months."

The Awami League declined NPR's request for remark.

"We're merely not a mature democracy" Yunus' press secretary, Shafiqul Alam, defends the administration's report on tackling crime.

He factors to reforms in legislation and order, human rights, and transparency as proof of progress.

"Probably the most tough job for this authorities was to handle expectations," he instructed NPR.

"A few of these guys who criticize us, they wished us to behave like a really mature democracy, which Bangladesh will not be. It is not like the UK or Scandinavian nations. We're merely not a mature democracy."

Again in Babanpur, because the rain continues to fall, Sayed's father says he has one remaining request:

"Abu Sayed gave his life for his nation. Now I ask the federal government for justice."

Solely then, he says, will he and his spouse discover peace.

<img src="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/7866x5244+0+0/resize/1100/quality/50/format/jpeg/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F9b%2F6f%2F065123574e5a9e64204f0fcac656%2Fdsc09549.jpg" data-template="https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims3/default/strip/false/crop/7866x5244+0+0/resize/{width}/quality/{quality}/format/{format}/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F9b%2F6f%2F065123574e5a9e64204f0fcac656%2Fdsc09549.jpg" class="img" alt="Mokbul Hussein prepares feed for the cow at their home. For his family, the fact that his son Abu Sayed was studying at a public university was a matter of great pride." loading="lazy"/> Mokbul Hussein prepares feed for the cow at their residence. For his household, the truth that his son Abu Sayed was learning at a public college was a matter of nice pleasure. Parvez Ahmad Rony for NPR conceal caption