Daily Times

There is every reason to fear utter chaos in Bangladesh as a determined wave of protest sweeps across the country. A giant demonstration of more than 100,000 supporters from opposition parties joining forces to demand a free and fair vote turned ugly on Saturday amid violent clashes.

Two casualties ensued as a result of skirmishes between protesters and police. Troubling videos of people scampering for cover with plumes of black smoke and terrifying grenade sounds in the background continued to hit social media. Between an ominous nationwide strike and hundreds of detentions, there is enough in the tea leaves to suggest the movement has entered a new phase; forcing Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to pay more attention.

Having been in power for 15 years, Ms Hasina uses every page in the playbook to broadcast how her government oversaw phenomenal economic growth, most noteworthy of which has been its GDP per capita overtaking India. However, the fanfare does a poor job of hiding corruption accusations and heart-wrenching tales of human rights abuses. Concerns over her use of legislature as nothing more than a rubber stamp does not sit well with either the opposition or the international community.

There are swirling tales of her complicit participation in tens of thousands of detentions, extrajudicial encounters and forced disappearances of opposition leaders.

That two-time premier Khaleda Zia languishes under house arrest has been the focal point of demonstrations, where supporters crammed into buses and rode atop jam-packed trains to send a loud message across. An unsettling omen threatens to hang over Bangladesh if Ms Hasina does not step down voluntarily.

More violence is to be expected as her political rivals would call for more aggressive protests to flex their muscle. Her space to manoeuvre the political space is shrinking rapidly, and her people’s patience for a return to true democracy wearing thin. *