People Power in Bangladesh: What Happens Next? Are the Fears Being Expressed in India Justified?

The mass protest in Bangladesh has brought an end to the authoritarian government of Sheikh Hasina but it is not clear what happens next. The army has said it will help form an interim government but the student leaders say “no military government, or one backed by the military, or a government of fascists”, will be accepted by them. Waiting in the wings to take advantage of the situation are the Bangladesh National Party and Jamaat-e-Islami, and this has led to a lot of fear-mongering in India about the fate of the Hindu minority in Bangladesh.

The students want the Nobel Peace Prize winner, Mohammad Yunus, to head the interim government and he has agreed to do so. There are also proposals for a new constitution to be written by a Constitutional Assembly. Against this backdrop, the media in Bangladesh has rediscovered its freedom and the families of political prisoners and the hundreds of disappeared persons are demanding justice and accountability.

As Bangladesh stands at a crossroads, Barrister Rashna Imam, Advocate, Supreme Court of Bangladesh, speaks to Siddharth Varadarajan about the opportunities and dangers that lie ahead.