Throughout Bangladesh, students are hitting the streets in protest, their united voices chanting, “Who are you? Who am I? Razakar, Razakar!”
Dhaka: In light of the rising student-led demonstrations against the government in Bangladesh, the country has imposed a nationwide curfew and suspended mobile internet services. According to official statements, these stringent measures were deemed necessary to curb the dissemination of misinformation.
Following the curfew, the authorities have also shut down schools and universities indefinitely.
Amid the ongoing countrywide protests in Bangladesh against job quotas, Border Security Forces (BSF) carried out security checks at the Indian Immigration check post in Fulbari, Jalpaiguri.
“Who are you? Who am I? Razakar, Razakar!
Throughout Bangladesh, students are hitting the streets in protest, their united voices chanting, “Who are you? Who am I? Razakar, Razakar!” The slogans are being seen as collective message of the protestors in response to a contentious government job quota policy.
As of Saturday, the Bangladesh authorities are grappling, trying to keep the surging unrest under control, forcing even the military to step in. Also, control operations have started, coinciding with the entire nation finding itself under a sweeping curfew.
Why Protestors Are Raising Slogans On Razakars?
The Bangladesh Protests took a violent turn after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina share a controversial remark on the demonstrations. On July 14, PM Hasina said, “If the grandchildren of freedom fighters do not receive [quota] benefits, who would get it? The grandchildren of Razakars?”
As a reaction to the statement, the protesting students shot back and gave the slogan “Tui ke? Ami ke? Razakar, Razakar! (Who are you? Who am I? Razakar, Razakar!)”.
Who Are Razakars?
During the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War, there existed a militia contingent known as the Razakars. They stood shoulder to shoulder with the Pakistani military, helping them to quell the rising cries for independence within East Pakistan, a region we know today as Bangladesh.
The protests started after the students violently backlash against a new policy to reserve a portion of government jobs for descendants of the nation’s freedom fighters. Moreover, the protesters attacked the state television headquarters in Dhaka and set fire to police booths on Thursday as they called for a “complete shutdown” of the country.
The ongoing running street battles between security forces using rubber bullets and tear gas have forced life in several neighbourhoods of Bangladesh to a halt, reported The Washington Post, citing Bangladeshi media.
(With inputs from agencies)