As the curtain of 2024 is going to be drawn, it will be a historical year for Bangladesh no doubt. Since the country has attained its independence in 1971 sacrificing millions of lives in nine months of bloody war, 2024 is one of the most significant for transition and transformation. Before it, 1975 and 1990 are two critical years of turning points in the history of Bangladesh for obvious reasons.
During the second half of 2024, Bangladesh witnessed a massive uprising against Sheikh Hasina, a ruler turned into a tyrant from a democratic leader. For more than a decade, she ruled the country ruthlessly by suppressing dissident voices and promoting corruption and plunder. During her regime, she systematically destroyed the democratic institutions, manipulated national elections, and distorted social relations. Under the cover of development works, her regime widened the socio-economic disparity in the country.
Finally, students stood up against the oppressive regime and launched the anti-discrimination movement with steely resolve. It started as a movement for quota reform in government jobs and gradually became a movement to oust the Hasina regime. Instead of dealing with the rational demands of the students with care, the oppressive regime opted for the path of intimidation and repression. The Hasina regime was blind to the ground reality and deployed goons of the now-banned Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) to finish the job. The move, however, backfired after the BCL goons attacked female students on July 15 at the Dhaka University campus. Ordinary students, equally determined, resisted the BCL goons at different campuses the next day, and the movement gained heavy traction. The rest is history.
Three most significant characteristics of the anti-discrimination movement are: student-youth leadership, active participation of students of private universities, and significant presence of girls. During the turbulent days of the movements, female students came out on the streets to stand by their male counterparts. They injected moral courage into the movement.
During the movement, girls broke socio-religious taboos without any hesitation and took position on roads and streets. They have led many meetings and demonstrations overcoming the threats and attacks of goons deployed by the ousted regime. When the police arrested male students, female students came to save their brothers. A female student standing in front of a police van in her desperate attempt to stop it from carrying fellow protesters in the High Court area in Dhaka on July 31 has become an iconic picture. Again, female students led processions at droho jatra on August 2 in Dhaka ignoring heavy rain and defying oppressive forces of Hasina regime. Female student coordinators also faced a series of intimidation and harassment by law enforcing agencies but they never gave up. As Hasina was compelled to step down on August 5 and flee the country, she left a legacy of killing more than 1,400 people including women and children. More than 20,000 people are also injured.
By demonstrating their undiminished spirit, female students also encouraged different sections of women to join the movement. That's why mothers also came into the streets to support their sons and daughters.
The country witnessed the unfolding of a unique scene. Those who have been persistently trying to brand Bangladesh as a country of religious extremist failed to appreciate the active participation of girls and their courage during the movement. Girls with both hijabs and non-hijabs walked together in streets, chanted slogans, raised national flags to lead rallies, and faced police and goons. The role played by them was crucial to making the uprising a success. Salute to the girls' power. They have demonstrated the undying women's spirit.
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