Bangladesh struggles to repair damage from Hasina's 15-year rule

The chants get louder arsenic hundreds of protesters crook a country successful the cardinal portion of Bangladesh's capital, marching and calling for an extremity to a steep hike successful pack enactment and convulsive crime.

It was the 2nd rally successful arsenic galore weeks wherever young radical poured onto the streets of Dhaka to dependable their displeasure astatine wherever the state is headed. 

"I came to protestation the rampant rape cases successful the country," Anindita Biswas said astatine the rally past weekend, aft the alleged rape of an eight-year-old miss successful occidental Bangladesh sparked outrage. 

Outside the offices of Bangladesh's interim government, which was formed aft a bloody student-led gyration toppled erstwhile premier curate Sheikh Hasina and ended her 15 years of authoritarian rule, determination was yet different protest. 

This time, it was a radical of radical who sustained injuries successful the widescale protests past July that were met with a brutal crackdown by information forces earlier the protesters yet succeeded successful forcing Hasina to fly by chopper to neighbouring India. 

"I request assistance to get due attraction for my slug wound," rickshaw operator Muhammad Yaqub Ali said, showing the scars wherever a slug went done his leg. 

Each protestation has a stark connection for the country's interim government, led by 84-year aged Muhammad Yunus, a Nobel Prize victor for pioneering microfinancing to assistance the poor. He returned to Dhaka to pb Bangladesh's modulation aft past summer's protests, fulfilling a petition from the students starring the propulsion for change. 

His state had suffered respective weeks of turmoil that near much than 1,400 radical dead, aft constabulary fired astatine the crowds successful an effort to stifle the unrest. 

The convulsive crackdown from the Hasina government, which had agelong been accused of corruption and systemic repression of dissent, could magnitude to crimes against humanity, according to the United Nations. In a study released successful February, UN investigators recovered that up to 13 per cent of those killed were children. 

An archetypal feeling of euphoria and alleviation that greeted Yunus's assignment has faded 7 months later. His authorities is struggling to get a grip connected a emergence successful lawlessness that is fuelling persistent protests, with the declining information concern worrying galore successful Bangladesh, on with the dilatory gait of change. 

'Sorry for our state'

"I consciousness atrocious for our state," said Mahfuj Alam, 1 of the leaders of the pupil protestation question who was aboriginal recruited to beryllium portion of the interim authorities arsenic an advisor to Yunus.

Some constabulary officers are refusing to amusement up for work, helium said, starring to much transgression and pack activity, which is "enraging people."

Alam told CBC News the expectations that Bangladeshis had for swift alteration came up against a bureaucratic strategy that's truthful entrenched that existent betterment is astir impossible. 

"All are reasoning that the interim authorities volition spell wrong 1 year. So wherefore should we travel their dictates?" the 27-year aged said arsenic helium described the intransigence he's seen from the country's governmental parties, bureaucrats and constabulary officers. 

"This is the reality. It's the world from the police, from the bureaucracy and from corporations," helium said.

"It makes us, the interim government, weak."

Yunus has promised to reconstruct instrumentality and bid arsenic his authorities picks up the pieces aft the harm inflicted nether Hasina's rule. 

He has toured the concealed prisons wherever the erstwhile regime's governmental opponents were allegedly held and tortured and has acceptable up quality rights commissions to analyse further.

Senior constabulary officers person besides been arrested for extrajudicial killings, and Hasina is facing hundreds of charges, including murder, crimes against humanity and abduction. She denies the charges. 

Strained ties with India

Still, Yunus is convinced the erstwhile premier curate volition look justice, adjacent though Hasina is hiding retired successful India and the ties betwixt the 2 countries are strained. 

India has not responded to 2 apprehension warrants and ceremonial requests from Dhaka for her extradition. 

"The question of a proceedings is not 'if.' It volition beryllium happening successful absentia oregon successful her presence," Yunus told Sky News. "Not lone her but each the radical associated with her: her household members, her clans, her associates and each the oligarchs." 

He has said the state volition clasp elections betwixt December of this twelvemonth and March 2026, but the precedence is ensuring reforms are successful spot to marque definite the ballot is escaped and fair. 

The sustained instability nether the interim authorities is besides affecting Bangladesh's fragile economy, with double-digit ostentation different cardinal concern. 

On a caller morning, a authorities motortruck selling oil, atom and grains astatine subsidized rates by the broadside of the roadworthy successful Dhaka was astir overrun with dozens of radical lining up and scrambling to get their hands connected the discounted food.

One woman, Khadija, told CBC News she had waited 4 hours, but with her 16-month aged babe successful her arms, had to forfeit her spot and permission without the cheaper rations, which tin outgo up to 60 per cent much astatine a regular market.

Yunus besides has to contend with Bangladesh's service chief, General Waker-Uz-Zaman, who was blunt successful a code connected Feb. 25, saying helium had "had enough" with the divisive authorities and unrest. He said Bangladesh was successful a "state of anarchy" that was "manufactured."  

"I'm informing you," helium said successful Bengali. "The independency and sovereignty of this state volition beryllium astatine risk" if the turmoil continues. 

The wide besides urged Yunus to support his committedness of holding an predetermination by the extremity of the year. 

'What radical truly want' 

The students who ousted Hasina person present formed a governmental enactment and are vowing to shingle up the country's governmental scenery that has typically lurched betwixt 2 parties, Hasina's Awami League and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, some led by household dynasties. 

"We are moving for a due antiauthoritarian transformation," said Hasnat Abdullah, 26, 1 of the astir recognizable faces from the beforehand lines of the July uprising. 

"The radical volition beryllium our topmost precedence — what radical truly want." 

His colleague, Samanta Shermeen, 33, is the recently minted spokesperson for the student-led Jatiya Nagorik, oregon the National Citizens' Party. 

"The Bangladeshi antiauthoritarian strategy doesn't work. It's not antiauthoritarian astatine all. So the Bangladeshi radical are struggling," she told CBC News, adding that their enactment is much of a corporate that volition enactment for change. 

Its leader, Nahid Islam, who near his station wrong the interim authorities to assistance motorboat the party, said helium didn't deliberation it was imaginable to clasp a nationalist predetermination that is escaped and fair, fixed the existent information challenges. 

Adjusting to the caller reality

For galore who person endured months of symptom and grief aft losing a loved 1 successful the July protests, that's not the astir invited news.

The Rahman household is inactive adjusting to their caller reality, aft the youngest of 3 boys, Mugdho, was changeable dormant by constabulary past July. 

His brothers person been painstakingly collecting grounds and CCTV footage of their younger brother's last minutes, erstwhile helium was seen handing retired h2o and biscuits to chap protesters.

"I'm inactive learning however to unrecorded my beingness without him," said Mugdho's identical twin, Snigdho Rahman.

"Mugdho was not lone my duplicate brother, helium was my champion friend. We utilized to stock everything." 

The brothers person spent galore hours trying to co-ordinate compensation for victims' families, which gives them a consciousness of purpose. 

"We are trying to fulfil his unfinished dreams," the eldest brother, Mir Mahmuder Rahman, said, and assistance the radical of Bangladesh "to marque this state a beauteous one." 

Snigdho Rahman told CBC News helium tin lone anticipation his brother's death, and that of the hundreds of different victims, wasn't successful vain. 

"That gives maine the information that present is the clip to change, to betterment everything and marque a agleam aboriginal for our country," helium said.

"Our aboriginal procreation cannot springiness their beingness conscionable similar us. Just similar Mughdo did." 

WATCH | Breaking down how last summer's student-led protests turned into a monolithic movement: