March to Dhaka, the final battle: What Bangladesh students are planning

The battlelines are drawn, and the battleground is clear. It’s Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, that will witness what is believed to be the showdown between the protesters seeking Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s scalp and her loyalists and parytymen who have taken to the streets to confront them physically. Monday is crucial for what course this fight takes. Protest leaders have given a call for a ‘March to Dhaka’, and asked one person from every family to start for the capital.

“We have decided to move the long march to Dhaka, which was scheduled for August 6, has been forward by one day to August 5. We are calling upon all freedom-loving people across Bangladesh to start their journey towards Dhaka. Those who can and are able to do so should set out for Dhaka tonight. Announce from the mosques to start their journey towards Dhaka. Let one person from each family embark on this journey to witness history,” Asif Mahmud, one of the coordinators of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement made this announcement on Sunday, as Bangladesh descended into anarchy and chaos.

On Sunday, the situation escalated dramatically as protests against the Hasina regime erupted in at least two dozen districts, leading to widespread violence, killing at least 98. Following that, the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, the body that is organising the protests, had called for a ‘March to Dhaka’, aimed to dislodge the government.

On Monday, Bangladesh is bracing for a potentially catastrophic day as student protesters, determined to oust Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government, prepare for what they call the “final battle.” Hasina’s regime is hanging by a thread.

In the meantime, the Bangladesh Army chief, General Waker-uz-Zaman, is expected to address the nation at 2 pm. Until then, the Army has requested the public to refrain from violence and maintain patience.

LONG MARCH TO DHAKA, THE ‘FINAL BATTLE’

The student-led protests, which began in July over a quota system reserving 30% of government jobs for families of veterans from Bangladesh’s 1971 Liberation War, have evolved into a broader movement demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Hasina.

“For us, this is the final battle, and we are ready for it,” added Asif Mahmud on Sunday, in a video.

The July protests, which resulted in the deaths of more than 200 people, sparked the current demonstrations demanding justice for the deceased. Additionally, widespread discontent with the Hasina regime has also found a place in the recent protests.

The protesters, undeterred by the government’s heavy-handed response, advanced their “Long March to Dhaka” programme by a day.

On Monday morning, students from various educational institutions gathered at the central Shaheed Minar at around 10.00 am to join the ‘March to Dhaka’, called by the Student Against Discrimination Movement, according to Prothom Alo.

“Police fired teargas and sound grenades to disperse them,” reported the Dhaka-based newspaper.

Thousands of people have taken to the streets in Jatrabari of Dhaka. On the other hand police have taken positions at the Jatrabari police station area. Army personnel with armour vehicles have also been seen there, reported Prothom Alo.

STUDENTS PLAN TO GHERAO GONOBHOBON, HASINA’S RESIDENCE

The protesting students say that they are planning to assemble at Gonobhobon, the official residence of Prime Minister Hasina, on Tuesday, in a symbolic show of defiance.

The single-point demand of the protesting students has been that Sheikh Hasina step down as the PM.

“Sheikh Hasina had said that the doors of Gonobhobon are open. We appreciate it, because she has understood that the doors of Gonobhobon need to be kept open,” roared student leader Nahid Islam from Dhaka’s iconic Shaheed Minar on Sunday.

“Our objectives, goals, and destination are clear. Victory alone is our goal. We are still giving time. If the government continues to resort to violence, we want to let them know that we are looking at the Ganabhaban,” added Nahid, flanked by hundreds of students. They cheered with enthusiasm.

This move is likely to be met with fierce resistance from security forces, who have already demonstrated their willingness to use live rounds, rubber bullets, and tear gas to disperse the crowds.

DEATH TOLL LIKELY TO INCREASE

Sunday’s protests around the country saw a devastating toll, with reports saying 98 people lost their lives, including at least 14 police officers who were beaten to death.

The violence on Sunday was intense and unprecedented, with clashes between protesters, police, and members of Hasina’s ruling party, the Bangladesh Awami League, along with its youth wing, the Jubo League, and its student wing, the Bangladesh Student League, spreading across multiple districts.

The protesting students will gather at Dhaka’s Shahbag intersection at 2 pm, reported the Dhaka-based JamunaTV. “It is to be noted that public anxiety and apprehension has arisen around the ‘March to Dhaka’ program during the curfew,” noted a JamunaTV report.

Meanwhile, the Hasina government on Sunday evening imposed an indefinite curfew to control the law and order situation.

The protesting students have shown no intention of scaling back. If the situation deteriorates further, it is expected to result in even more bloodshed than on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Prothom Alo reported, several Awami League leaders said that the leaders and activists of the party have been instructed to continue to assert their strength for two to three more days.

Awami League members were seen armed with wooden batons and machetes.

The government, in anticipation, has shut down mobile internet services and restricted social media platforms as the ‘March to Dhaka’ is expected to be more intense.

“Deeply worried more lives will be lost at the planned mass march in Dhaka. Political leadership and security forces must protect the right to life,” posted the United Nations Human Rights on X on Monday.

TOTAL INTERNET BLACKOUT

In an effort to suppress the protests, the government has suspended mobile internet services and restricted access to social media platforms like Facebook and WhatsApp.

“Live metrics show Bangladesh is again in the midst of a near-total national internet shutdown after earlier social media and mobile cuts; the incident is the second blackout to be imposed, as protesters call for PM Hasina to resign over hundreds of student deaths,” internet watchdog NetBlocks posted on X on Monday morning.

This move has been criticised for its potential to exacerbate the violence, as it limits the ability of protesters to coordinate and communicate peacefully.

“The regime has cut off the internet, isolating the country once again. The last internet shutdown, from July 18-23, led to a massacre, killing over 250 student protesters. Bangladeshi youth, students, and young kids, fearing the same, are sending an SOS to the world,” Sultan Mohammed Zakaria, US-based Co-Founder, Bangladeshi Diaspora for Justice and Accountability wrote on X on Monday morning.

Meanwhile, in the face of calls to convene in Dhaka, the Hasina government has also ordered the shutdown of the Bangladesh Railway system, effectively crippling the country’s transportation network. Within Dhaka, too, there are minimal transportation services available, a move that has been seen as an attempt to keep people from coming to Dhaka.

AWAMI LEAGUE TO ASSERT MORE STRENGTH TO QUELL PROTEST

The ruling Awami League party, led by Prime Minister Hasina, is determined to assert its strength in the face of the protests, said a report on Prothom Alo.

The party has accused the main opposition party, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, and the outlawed Jamaat-e-Islami party of co-opting the protests, and has vowed to deal severely with those involved in “sabotage.”

Awami League sources told Prothom Alo that the party in several meetings on Saturday decided to quell the movement through using its political might.

However, it was reported that the Awami League and men prepared to flex muscle on the streets on Saturday midnight. “They were carrying sticks, machetes and local weapons. Some were seen using firearms. They were seen taking on the protesters alongside the law enforcers,” reported Prothom Alo.

Hasina’s party believes that the quota reform movement has been turned political by raising one-point demand, which is the resignation of the Prime Minister.

Awami League’s Jahangir Kabir Nanak on Sunday said, that it was an end to the party’s patience. He added, “being patient is not a weakness”.

“The Awami League has decided to resist the anarchists of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party and [the outlawed] Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami at any cost,” he said.

As Bangladesh teeters on the brink, the world watches with bated breath. The “final battle” promised by the protesters today may be the most intense and violent confrontation since the 1971 Liberation War, and the outcome is far from certain. What the army chief says, and the stance the military takes, will be crucial.