 "Representative image. AFP file")
Bangladesh is back to what it was a few months ago. Students are back on the streets to protest the death of a colleague who allegedly died of medical negligence.
The country is once again facing a massive law and order upheaval, only this time it is happening under an interim government. The administration has deployed the Army to quash the protests ensuing in different colleges around Dhaka.
Meanwhile, a parallel protest led by minorities, specifically Hindus of Bangladesh, has also rocked the country after an ISCKON monk Chinmay Prabhu Das was denied bail in a sedition case.
British MPs write to Lamy
Amid all this ruckus, some British MPs have written a letter to the UK’s foreign secretary David Lamy expressing concerns over the deteriorating law and order situation in Bangladesh after the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government and the rise of extremist elements.
The All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for the Commonwealth in the UK has documented over 2,000 atrocities since the fall of Hasina’s government, alleging that the current regime may be using the legal system as a tool for revenge.
APPG chairman Tory MP Andrew Rosindell said, “This report will be a step in our efforts to raise awareness of issues affecting important Commonwealth partners.”
Why are students protesting?
Earlier this month on November 16, a 12th standard student named Abhijeet was admitted to the hospital after he tested positive for dengue. He died two days later following which on November 19, his roommates Siam and Aftab alleged that he died because he was treated wrongly in the hospital.
After a few days, Siam and Aftab started protesting outside the hospital where Abhijeet was admitted and other college students also joined them.