Hasina missing the point in post-protest Bangladesh

Bangladesh is still shaking from violent student protests in recent weeks that resulted in over 170 deaths, a crackdown that has drawn unflattering global attention to the unprecedented brutality of police forces against civilians and an alleged government-enforced internet blackout that lasted for over five days.

As the situation starts to stabilize and internet access—at least for broadband—gradually resumes, grainy videos of students and ordinary citizens who protested for reforms in government job quotas are flooding social media. These videos show them being hit by bullets, pellets and relentless barrages of tear gas.

On the other hand, pro-government supporters are posting and sharing a counterstream of footage, including clips of vandalism during the protests punctuated by attacks on the country’s only metro rail system in Dhaka as well as on expressway and flyover toll booths on flyovers.

A video of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina crying upon seeing the damaged metro rail has gained significant traction and has been widely discussed and trolled online.

The general public’s perception of Hasina – who in January this year secured her fourth consecutive term through an opposition-less election – is a blend of fear, awe and apprehension.

Her administration’s heavy-handed suppression of protests and silencing of political opponents through intimidation, forced disappearances and extrajudicial killings are well-documented.

So, too, is her government’s legal harassment of the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), whose members face an overwhelming number of cases against them.

However, it isn’t only the use of brute force or a subdued judiciary that has made Hasina the longest-serving female head of