‘Free again’: Hope and fear as Bangladeshis eye uncertain future

Sheikh Hasina, who had been in charge of Bangladesh for 15 years, was about to flee the country when Nazmul Arefin discovered that he had dropped all and fled onto the roads of Dhaka.

Outside, dozens of anti-government activists were now marching across the money, although none knew what awaited them.

A stringent assault following a week-long global civil disobedience campaign that erupted over legal service job limits had resulted in hundreds of fatalities.

And whether more bloodshed would pursue remained a mystery:” We were skeptical about whether the troops may support the people or support the government,” according to Mr. Arefin.

“If law enforcement and the army had turned on us tuesday, it could have become a murder. ”

But the 38-year-old’s dread was quickly replaced with joy, after media spread like wildfire that Ms Hasina had resigned, and people began to consider Bangladesh “free again”.

Mr. Arefin was witness to something else as protesters stormed her standard residence and looted anything from velvet chair to domesticated pets were broadcast around the world.

“It was like a festival on the roads, ” he tells the BBC.

People of all ages and lessons, from rickshaw pullers to people in high society, gathered for selfies with military officers, according to the report. We were shouting and celebrating for a fresh Bangladesh. ”

The prime minister ’s death was one that some saw coming and the impact was evident.

When we first learned that the army commander was speaking to the audience on television, the internet had been offline for the majority of the time, according to Shariful Islam, who was with his family at the time the news broke.

When it became evident what was unfolding, he says people “lost it”- his old families and four-year-old child included.

“Oh my lord, we were all crying, dancing, clapping, celebrating, it was a taste of freedom, like something you hardly knowledge. ”

Hasina, who has ruled the South Asian country for more than 20 years and has been in power since 2009, had established herself as a symbol of politics by overcoming military rule to bring about a new era of desire.

She was first recognized as a liberal Muslim who had aided Bangladesh in achieving stability and economic reform while also helping millions of people escape hunger.

However, most people remembered her as an autocrat who had sought to bolster her power by stifling opposition when her much career came to an end on Monday.

“This was a dictator that lasted 15 times, no-one could speak their minds, persons were thrown in jail for expressing their views, there were gross human rights violations, people disappeared. The fact that this is ending- that ’s why the roads were full, ” Mr Islam says.

Hope and reluctance permeate Bangladeshis as they watch the fulfillment of the vacuum left by Ms. Hasina’s withdrawal.

“People are joyful a despot has stepped along, but there’s doubt [over ] what will happen … the law-and-order condition is making people stressed, ” Avirup Sarkar- who works for the World Bank in Dhaka, tells the BBC.

According to Sayem Faruk, an entrepreneur who runs an AI company in the city, the first thing that needs to occur is the end of any crime and stealing.

As the caretaker government is established and the military begins to take over the situation, we will be on a vigilance in the coming days. ”

Some of the individuals who started the protest movement in July and have since become its de facto rulers, have also sent the top-down concept that there must be calm and peace on the roads.

“ Freedom is harder to defend than to gain, ” Asif Mahmud, a leading figure in the demonstrations, wrote in a message to his tens of thousands of social media followers on Tuesday.

Sazid Islam, a 22-year-old undergraduate, told the BBC that despite the perception that “freedom of conversation has been restored,” numerous people on the frontlines are aware that the situation is still fragile.

“The fears I have today are that, since we have instantly gained our social right, if the condition deteriorates, we may experience suppression again. especially if the revolution’s norms are not upheld. ”

Conversational topics include whether regular Bangladeshis will unite in this time and stop ingroding old political or religious groups.

“If you may call this a revolution. How quickly can you handle this, exactly? ” Sumon Rahman, a media professor at the University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh, told the BBC.

“ I live very close to the PM’s home and I brought my boys there to see what’s happening. There was a lot of theft. ”

Prof Rahman’s home in the Dhanmondi place is a short walk from the former home of the nation’s leader, the toppled prime minister ’s parents Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, which had been turned into a museum. It was set fire in Monday’s protests.

“The activists burned it down completely. Additionally, I saw numerous Twitter share images of the burned-out house. The theft happened late into the night, ” said Prof Rahman.

There have also been reports of attacks on religious minorities, but it’s not clear if they were targeted because they were members of [ Ms. Hasina’s ] Awami League or because they were supporters of them.

“If you look at the history of Bangladesh… When there is a trend, there will be counter-revolutions, dictatorships, counter-coups. It is a huge duty to reform the system, and you ca n’t do it right away, the country will just crumble, he adds.

Some of his peers in Bangladesh, according to corporate consultant Samiul Haque, want a completely new political system that is “from the ground away.”

” Young people feel that there should not be a profit of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party and Jamaat-e-Islami,” the 32-year-old explains, referencing the nation’s opposition parties.

As political and economic leaders teamed up with the authorities, inequality had increased significantly in Bangladesh. What we saw was a class-based activity because they were generating so much revenue that rickshaw pullers and regular individuals also joined in. We all felt enough is enough. ”

For some in the nation, though, the most immediate problem is one of health.

A Bangladeshi garments factory contractor from India told the BBC that he was concerned that Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s close ties with Ms. Hasina’s now defunct state might make his family, who make up the minority Hindu population, targeted.

I’ve heard about some Hindu components being attacked, but I’m not sure if it’s true. But my region is quiet. Some Arab neighbours have assured us about our health, ” he says.

I’m hoping to leave as soon as possible with my home. But I do have wish because I’ve lived here all my life. my job is around. Bangladesh has given me all. ”

However, Mr. Arefin anticipates that the country’s better spirits will prevail in the coming days and nights.

“ From this point, we are calling it Bangladesh 2. 0 and we want to have a diverse and corruption-free land, where everyone can own freedom of speech, and no one will be afraid to raise their voices. ”

And Mr. Faruk claims to have faith in the presentations, which have caused groups in the nation of 170 million rather than to worsen them.

This began as a movement to combat discrimination, which is still present in Bangladesh’s workplaces and throughout all forms of attacks on minorities and conservative organizations. If we do n’t want to end up in a failed state, we also need to have control over those. ”