Under veneer of normalcy, Dhaka remains on edge
An interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus assumed office on August 8 and began taking steps to restore normalcy
Dhaka: The Bangladesh police are back on the streets of Dhaka following the return of a semblance of normalcy, but Mahfuzul Islam, a local resident, continues to restrict his daily home to office travel by bus.
As establishments across the city of more than 20 million gradually reopen this week after the violence and law and order vacuum that followed the ouster of former premier Sheikh Hasina’s regime on August 5, Islam decided it was safe to commute from Mohakhali to his office in the Bangla Motor area of Dhaka.
After getting off a bus on Thursday morning, Islam ordered a cup of tea at a roadside stall before heading to his office. The 40-year-old said the situation in Dhaka appeared to be getting better.
“I do not have any affiliation with a political party, but I am still anxious about the prevailing situation. Nowadays, I do not go anywhere except home and office,” he said.
After failing to suppress weeks of protests by the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, Hasina directed police to crack down on demonstrators. More than 300 people were killed before she was forced to quit and flee to India, hours before protesters entered her official home.
More than 200 others were killed and many more injured in violence that followed the abrupt collapse of Hasina’s government, much of it directed against supporters and workers of her Awami League party.
An interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus assumed office on August 8 but Dhaka witnessed a period of turmoil amid a power vacuum for almost three days, marked by attacks on police stations, business establishments, and government buildings.
Many residents are still nervous about the political and security situation. With reports still coming about the targeting of homes, offices of political parties, and places of worship in some parts of the country, a sense of deep unease lingers.
The major opposition parties—the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and Jamaat-e-Islami—have stepped up political activities with the former holding rallies in Dhaka.
In the absence of traffic police in Dhaka for several days after the fall of the former government, students who had spearheaded the protests were seen managing the flow of cars on the busy streets of the capital city. Now, traffic police personnel are manning the main intersections and a few students can be seen assisting them.
A strong police contingent has been deployed to guard the 7th-century Dhakeshwari temple in Dhaka, the most important Hindu temple in Bangladesh, following attacks on places of worship of the minority community at different places across the country.
The city’s metro rail system is scheduled to recommence operations on August 17. Authorities shut down operations on July 19 amid the protests after two metro stations were attacked and vandalised. Educational institutions are set to reopen on Sunday.
Malls and shops across Dhaka city are open but owners said the footfall remains low.
Mahtab Uddin, a trader in the Nilkhet area, said he was happy the that interim government led by Yunus, 84, was at the helm of affairs. He also said he was happy he did not have to give in to extortion demands from anyone now.
“If you didn’t give in to extortion by a representative of the local leader of the Awami League, you couldn’t sit here and do business,” he said.
After a 28-day pause due to the protests and disturbances across the country, intercity train services resumed on Thursday. Services were stopped after acts of vandalism and arson on certain trains on July 18.
However, passenger and freight train services between Bangladesh and India remain suspended; Maitree Express, Bandhan Express, and Mitali Express are the main cross-border passenger trains.
Bangladesh Railway director general Sardar Shahadat Ali told HT that the resumption of cross-border train services depends on clearance from India. “There were some Indian freight trains that came to Bangladesh, and the wagons were unloaded. We want to send the wagons back but they aren’t taking them. They are saying they haven’t got clearance from their external affairs ministry,” Ali said.