Resist any incident that violates civil rights and personal freedom

"Stop, stop… didn’t I tell you to stop?" "What’s the matter, brother?" asked the man in surprise. He turned to look at the voice that had rudely ordered him to stop and saw a young man charging at him with a stick in hand. Behind him were a few more men. As they approached, they demanded, "Where are you going?" The man was even more surprised by the question. Who were they to ask such a question? He responded, "Who are you? Why does it matter to you where I go?" This response didn’t sit well with them. They cursed at him and grabbed him by the collar, threatening him. "We’re with the ruling party. We’re from the student wing. Where’s your phone? Show me your phone!" One of them then snatched his mobile phone from his pocket. When he protested, he was further harassed and physically assaulted. Then one of them, holding his phone, said, "Unlock it! You’re one of the quota protesters! We’ll know if you’re involved with the movement by looking at your phone."

This incident, like many others, took place on the 17th of July. It’s clear who the wrongdoers and victims are in these events, but on the 15th of August in the Dhanmondi area, many people faced similar situations. The situation became so extreme that many were severely harassed. Elderly people were forced to squat as punishment, one person was nearly stripped naked and forced to dance, and various other inappropriate behaviors took place. Women were not spared from the harassment either. The reason for gathering at Dhanmondi 32 did not justify such vile actions. The crowd could have dispersed peacefully and respectfully, but they didn’t. Abandoning all sense of decency, intelligence, and courtesy, the gathering at Dhanmondi reached new lows of misconduct.

A friend of mine, while passing through the Dhanmondi area with his mother in a car, was stopped and asked to have his car and phone checked. When my friend questioned the legitimacy of these demands, like the person in the previous incident, the response was, "We’re students." The word "league" had conveniently disappeared from their identification, but everything else remained the same.

The privacy, personal freedom, dignity, and respect of the people were utterly disregarded by a portion of the youth who gathered at Dhanmondi in the name of political activism. Social media has heavily criticized their behavior, though perhaps not enough. The coordinators of the anti-discrimination movement have condemned these actions, stating that such behavior is not acceptable and urging people to refrain from it. However, in my opinion, their statements came too late. The terror in Dhanmondi continued from morning until the evening. Their statements made it to the media by late evening, and perhaps appeared on social media an hour or two earlier. I find it hard to believe that the student community, who orchestrated such a revolutionary movement through social media, didn’t hear about these vile actions throughout the day. If that is indeed the case, could we assume there was at least some silent endorsement from our student community?

What’s even more disheartening is that after hearing about this incident from my friend, I called a journalist friend while drafting this piece to ask how soon I could submit it for publication in the next day’s paper. My friend, an experienced journalist at a reputable newspaper, said it was unlikely that any criticism of students would be printed in his paper because students would storm the office and create chaos. Managing the situation would become too difficult for them. This suggests that the only change has been in power, not in attitudes. The interim government has promised to implement a system based on freedom of speech and human rights. If more incidents like Dhanmondi come to light, their commitment and enthusiasm for such principles will be questioned. The previous government, which this new one ousted, ignored human rights violations and even justified them while criticizing the violations of others. Their wrongdoings must certainly be addressed; that is essential! But if, under this new government, students and the youth behave as they please simply because of their affiliation, what’s the difference?

Some have reported that the youths responsible for the Dhanmondi incident were members of the BNP-affiliated student wing. They were heard chanting BNP and student wing slogans. If this is true, it indicates that the BNP has still failed to grasp the political mindset and desires of the people, especially neutral students and youth. They are still caught up in the lust for power. A few years ago, I remember watching a female BNP MP in a parliamentary session express respect for BNP’s founder, President Ziaur Rahman, before starting her speech. The ruling party MPs shouted her down in their usual manner, and the Speaker said nothing. This forced the BNP MP to say that if the Awami League could express respect for their leader, then they had the right to do the same for theirs. Though commendable, her statement didn’t hold up in the prevailing political climate.

Our students have achieved the impossible. Had they not embarked on this journey of political reform, I might not have been able to write such a critical piece today, let alone publish it. But this critique must apply to everyone equally. This “everyone” should exclude no one; such a constructive, inclusive environment for free speech is what everyone hopes to see. The students who risked their lives for it probably desire that as well. However, their or some of their peers’ lust for power may be turning them into the very thing they fought against. This is a betrayal of the bloodshed that has paved the way for the new dawn we envision.

After the blood-soaked revolutionary days, watching students control traffic on the streets gave me hope that perhaps one of the country's biggest problems would finally be solved. Gradually, the students handed over control to the traffic police. But now, traffic violations have already begun. I witnessed this myself when I used a ride-sharing motorbike today. The rider broke traffic rules whenever possible. There were no students around to address this. When they were present, I felt safer; but today, I didn’t have that same sense of security. Just like with traffic, I fear that I may experience a similar sense of insecurity in the behavior of our student and youth community in the future. Our interim government derives its power from the student and youth movements. This includes students from various political parties, including the BNP-affiliated student wing. Party-affiliated revenge and unacceptable behavior will not only reflect poorly on them but also diminish the credibility of their political parties. The behavior of these student groups reflects the same mentality of revenge, lust for power, and abuse that their parties still harbor.

I just received a video showing the BNP-affiliated student wing rallying near Dhanmondi 32 on the night of the 14th of August. A friend sent it to me while I was writing this. Watching it, I felt like I was seeing the same Bangladesh we had lost hope in. This was the same group of people, the same youth community that we once feared, avoided, and deemed undesirable. Thanks to the students, I can at least voice this now. But if things remain the same, the only difference will be the shift from one political group to another. Nothing else will change. This is why the BNP needs to reassess its political priorities. I appeal to BNP’s senior leadership to consider this. At the same time, I urge the coordinators of the anti-discrimination movement to ensure that they and their revolutionary members understand the vast difference between power and authority. Realizing this and behaving within the bounds of decency is essential. I am a teacher myself. Some of my students have been part of this revolution. With full respect to them and all the students and youth who contributed to this cause, I must say that this is not what we expect from you.

Simon Mohsin: Political and International Affairs Analyst.