The political situation in Bangladesh has been escalating, and this time, it is caused by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s use of the prohibited term “Razakar” to call for her removal from the presidency.
The term ‘Razakar’ that literally translates to ‘volunteer’ is taboo in Bangladesh as this refers to the set of people who aided the Pakistani military in their attempts to put down the Bangladesh Liberation War of 1971.
She is the daughter of Bangladesh ‘Father of the Nation’ Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. Hasina has not been shy about using this term to nail her perceived political opponents and dissenting voices in her over fifteen years in power.
Again, the recent protests of students against job reservation which called for aggressive actions from Hasina who quite humorously called protestors ‘the grandchildren of Razakars’. These words exacerbated the situation that followed a series of enraged protests that led to a rampage of over 200 individuals, mostly students and other common people.
Hasina’s political journey started in her student life as a leader, further after the August 1975 military coup that killed her father and most of her family members. She came back from exile and assumed the charge of the AL, the party formed by her father.
However, her longer period in the office of the prime minister has been followed by criticisms relating to the usage of security forces, especially the influential Rapid Action Battalion paramilitary abducting, killing and rigging elections against opposition members and critics.
Human rights organizations have reported hundreds of these kinds, and critics have suggested Hasana has gravely compromised the health of important establishments, such as the judiciary, election commission, media, and the police.
As this political problem persists, the volatile political transition after the liberation struggle and the polarizing strategies by the country’s long-standing leader have been put in the spotlight. Another factor that shows the students’ anger over Hasina using the term “Razakar” has worked to fuel the movement against her rule.
