Bangladesh’s BABANPUR This isolated community in northern Bangladesh gets battered by the monsoon rains. A hen struts across the sodden courtyard with her five chicks in tow, while a number of cows chew languidly on cud within their pens outside a small mud home.
Abu Sayed’s elderly parents appear to be distracted as they sit calmly on the terrace and gaze at the flood.
It appears to be a serene landscape, although one of poverty, to an unwary onlooker.
However, upon closer inspection, a striking picture emerges: Sayed’s tomb is surrounded by dozens of posters and photographs that line the walk leading to the house.
Some depict him addressing police on July 16 of last year outside his university in the northern district of Rangpur, with his arms extended and his chest visible, soon before he was shot four times by policemen at close range.
His passing and the circumstances surrounding it contributed to one of Bangladesh’s biggest political revolutions in many years.
According to the United Nations, up to 1,400 people were killed and thousands more injured over 36 days of countrywide unrest, primarily at the hands of security forces.
The Arabic word for “martyr,” shahid, is displayed across other posters.
They serve as a continual reminder to his family of the cost he incurred and his involvement in the student-led demonstrations that began earlier that month.
The 24-year-old was a modest, kind young man who did well in school, according to his father, Mokbul Hussein, who spoke to NPR.
He says, “My son graduated with honors,” in a voice that is shaking with passion. “He had a lot of trouble. He labored to pay for his school because I couldn’t afford it. When the protests started, he was on the verge of getting a job. He is now a martyr. My heart hurts and my eyes well up with tears as I consider it.
Monowara Khatun, Sayed’s mother, lets out a long sigh. “Every day,” she continues, “I look at my son’s photo.” But there’s no peace in it. Every day is painful for me. He cherished me dearly.
Live footage of Sayed’s shooting was shown on television. He was unarmed and not threatening, according to the video. The demonstrations, which started as calls to change civil service employment quotas, which set aside 30% of jobs for the descendants of liberation fighters from the 1971 War of Independence, took a significant turn when it swiftly went viral.
Twenty minutes after being shot, Sayed passed away.
Shortly thereafter, the demonstrations changed. Sheikh Hasina, who had served as prime minister for 15 years, needed to be removed. That was the straightforward demand.
In the end, Hasina fled by helicopter to India. In Bangladesh, she is currently being charged with crimes against humanity.
A tribunal has been established in the interim to hold individuals accountable for the protest-related deaths accountable, but the procedure is taking its time.
Soon after, Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus led the interim government, which was largely greeted as a new era for Bangladesh, offering an opportunity to end years of corruption, enforced disappearances, authoritarian control, and violations of human rights.
A growing sense of disillusionment
However, a growing sense of disappointment is spreading throughout the nation a year later.
The new government is criticized for not addressing attacks on women and minority groups, as well as mob violence.
Meanwhile, unemployment is still high.
According to Anu Muhammad, an economist from Savar, a town north of Dhaka, internal conflicts within the coalition are partially to blame.
His statement is that “some groups were very much intolerant, some groups were secular,” which explains the disparities. The inaction, the lack of coordination amongst themselves, the government and bureaucracy, the government and police, and the government and courts are all contributing to the growing frustration of the populace.
One subject that raised the most optimism was the protection of Bangladesh’s minority communities, particularly Hindus.
Police guard the gates of the nation’s largest Hindu shrine, Dhakeshwara shrine in Dhaka. But inside, there’s a cheerful atmosphere as believers talk among themselves and take photographs.
There’s a wedding going on. The bride looks stunning in gold and crimson. A fresh flower garland is used to beautify the groom.
Drama student Adrita Roy, who participated in the demonstrations last year, claims that the idea that Hasina’s Awami League political party shielded her people is untrue.
“My grandfather was a Hindu freedom fighter,” she continues. “Awami League leaders seized all of his belongings, and they even turned his ancestral home into a party office. These were the events that took place.
However, she notes that not much has changed in spite of Yunus’s pledges to protect minorities.
She claims that it was somewhat comforting since “he promised he would take care of the minorities before the Yunus government came to power.” The propaganda from the Awami League soon began to pour in. At that point, the government ought to have taken a more active role in averting the major events that have occurred in recent months.
NPR asked the Awami League for comment, but they declined.
“We are simply not a mature democracy”
Shafiqul Alam, Yunus’ press secretary, defends the administration’s track record in combating crime.
He cites improvements in transparency, human rights, and law and order as proof of advancement.
“The most difficult task for this government was to manage expectations,” he stated to NPR.
“Some of these individuals who criticize us expect us to act like a well developed democracy, which is not the case in Bangladesh. It’s not like Scandinavia or the United Kingdom. Simply put, our democracy is immature.
As the rain keeps coming down in Babanpur, Sayed’s father says he has one last request:
Abu Sayed sacrificed his life for his nation. I now demand justice from the government.
He claims that he and his spouse won’t be at peace till then.
Copyright 2025 NPR
