What Bangladesh's college elections say about its new radicalised politics

Days after the victory in Dhaka University (DU), the Islamist outfit Jamaat-e-Islami won students union elections at Jahangirnagar University (JU) over the weekend.

The success of Islamists in campuses where they previously had little presence is being seen as the latest sign of rising religious extremism in Bangladesh under interim leader Muhammad Yunus.

The Islami Chhatra Shibir (ICS), the student wing of Jamaat, won 20 out of 25 JU Central Students’ Union seats. The fact that such a victory came despite the party being banned in the campus for 35 years is telltale of its newfound popularity. At the DU Central Students Union, the ICS won nine out of 12 seats.

At JCU, the student wing of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) could not win any seat in JUCSU elections. It had boycotted DUCSU elections.

Thanks to political retribution under Yunus, the largest Bangladeshi political party, the Bangladesh Awami League (BAL) of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, could not contest the elections as Yunus’ Jamaat-backed interim regime has declared its student wing, Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL), as a terrorist organisation. Separately, the Yunus regime has also banned BAL from contesting elections under an anti-terrorism law.

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Since August 2024 when anti-Hasina groups and the military propped Yunus as the unelected interim leader, Bangladesh has seen the mainstreaming of Islamists through a series of actions that Yunus has taken, such as the creation of political vacuum with the ban of BAL; the release of hundreds of Islamist leaders, including terrorists from groups like Al Qaeda; and inaction against consistent violence by radical groups against minorities, particularly minorities.

‘A deeper concern’

In a paper for Counter Terrorist Trends and Analyses (CTTA), Iftekharul Bashar noted that “that the increasing influence of hardline groups, the growing involvement of Bangladeshi youth in transnational extremist movements, and the normalisation of extremist rhetoric, particularly online, are indicators of a deeper security concern” in the country.

To worsen the situation, several thousands of weapons along with ammunition was looted in July and August last year by mobs as they went on a rampage across the country. These weapons and ammunitions are likely to be used either for attacks on minorities, secular Muslims, or directed against India.

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The anarchy was Hasina was ousted was utilised by extremist and terrorist groups active in the country, according to Bashar.

Groups like Al-Qaeda, Islamic State, and local actors such as Hizb ut-Tahrir (HT) have also swiftly exploited this disorder, spreading radical ideologies, targeting youth and inciting violence against minorities, and freeing their cadres and leaders, as at least 70 militants were among the 2,200 prison escapees, noted Bashar.

In stark display of normalisation of extremism in the country, Islamic State flags and portraits of Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden were displayed at an anti-Israel rally in Dhaka in April.

“While the public display of terrorist symbols by some protesters does not signify widespread national acceptance of extremist narratives, it risks normalising these ideologies and making them more accessible to a wider audience,” noted Bashar.

As Yunus has shown no intention to curb the jihadist resurgence, there are concerns that the country could become a significant security risk to the region, particularly to India.