Violence Shadows Dhaka's Future

Retaliatory attacks, partisan vendettas, and anti-India rhetoric threaten to derail Bangladesh's fragile democratic process ahead of February's polls

- SHANTANU MUKHARJI

It has now been more than a year since the interim government assumed power following Sheikh Hasina's exit as Prime Minister, but the law and order situation in the country has shown no improvement. On the contrary, there has been a noticeable decline in the state of affairs across almost all spheres of activity. Hardly a couple of days ago, the head of Gono Odhikar Parishad (GOP), Nurul Haq Nur, was injured in an assault. This triggered a series of retaliatory attacks on Jatiya Party (JP) offices across Bangladesh, including in Dhaka, Rajshahi, Khulna, Tangail, Mymensingh, Thakurgaon, and Gaibandha, causing destruction of their buildings. Law and order agencies remained mute spectators. While GOP activists intensified their demand for the arrest of JP workers allegedly responsible for the attack on Nur, the JP leadership stepped up its appeal to the authorities to ban the GOP and even sought their disenfranchisement from contesting the elections.

It may be recalled that the GOP was officially launched on Tuesday, 26 October 2021, as a political party. It was founded under the leadership of economist Dr. Reza Kibria and former Dhaka University Central Students' Union (DUCSU) Vice President Nurul Haq Nur, with four core principles: democracy, justice, rights, and national interest. The party's headquarters is located in Dhaka. On 2 September 2024, the GOP was officially registered with the Election Commission. By the date of its registration, it may be deduced that the party was formed within a month of Sheikh Hasina's ouster, implying that its birth was already waiting in the wings. In other words, its emergence looks far from a coincidence.