Bangladeshi students fought the police for control of the streets and won, but if their country is to begin a new journey, someone has to clear the way forward.
Traffic jams are a reality in the capital, Dhaka. This metropolis of 20 million people relies on a contingent of police wardens to clear long queues of cars and rickshaws at intersections.
With officials going on strike following the resignation of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the students who had forced her out of office have now come forward to do the job themselves.
“Our country cannot remain stable,” Nasreen Akhtar Koli, 21, told AFP.
He said, “We had a fight with the police, so the police are not on duty. So our people should work instead of the police.”
Traffic control is a monotonous job even at the best of times, and many of Dhaka’s rank-and-file wardens are known for their leniency towards aggressive drivers speeding through turns.
But Koli and her classmates have brought a new excitement to the profession as they wave at cars at the busiest intersection in the city’s business district.
The drivers are also treating the volunteers with respect.
Nearly everyone is stopping when commanded and obeying polite but strict instructions to wear a seat belt — the kind of minor traffic violation that used to go unnoticed.
“After the revolution, every country faces some difficulties,” said Nahid Kalam Nabil, 22, as she controlled traffic alongside Kolley.
He said, “Students are now taking charge of the situation and they will keep the country safe.”
‘Teaching people’
More than 450 people were killed in weeks of clashes between protesters and security forces before Hasina stepped down and fled to India on Monday.
The protests were largely peaceful until police attempted to disperse them violently, setting off a chain of events that led to the end of Hasina’s 15-year harsh tenure.
Dozens of police officers were killed in the unrest, according to police and hospital figures given to AFP.
Following his departure, nearly 450 of the country’s 600 police stations were vandalised and set on fire, according to the police force.
Police unions announced a national strike on Tuesday “until” officers’ safety is assured, and the new police chief apologized for the behavior of officers under his fired predecessor.
The unrest has now subsided, thanks in part to students volunteering to patrol neighborhoods and protect places of worship for minority religions, where there have been some incidents of looting.
“They are protecting homes at night, they are protecting mosques, temples and churches,” Nabil said.
“They are teaching people law and order. They are designing the country in a new way.”
Many police officers returned to work on Friday, while soldiers – who are highly respected for not intervening in favor of Hasina during the unrest – remained on guard.
Farida Akhtar, a member of the interim government tasked with pushing forward democratic reforms, told AFP that restoring law and order was the new government’s “first priority”.
The sudden collapse of Hasina’s administration left a huge vacuum in the political administration, with many civil servants sitting at home and waiting for the dust to settle.
The city government in Dhaka has also reduced its activities, prompting other student volunteers to take on this responsibility.
“With this student protest, we have toppled a fascist regime,” deceased 20-year-old Samanjar Chowdhury told AFP as she picked up a broom to sweep rubbish from a city sidewalk.
He said, “The condition of the country is not good. Someone has to take responsibility for this.”
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
