Which way now ?

Which way now?

Ahmed Shafiqul Huque

This is the first time a non-partisan caretaker government had to use repressive measures to quell disturbances in Bangladesh. An incident between army personnel and students on Dhaka University campus erupted into a major show of disenchantment with the government. Only a short while ago, this government enjoyed unprecedented public support.What could have led to such a drastic change? In his address to the nation, the chief adviser attributed the disturbances to the efforts by certain quarters who were taking advantage of a minor event to destabilise and discredit the government. This explanation is not too different from the excuses used by governments in the past whenever they were unable to contain violence on the streets. However, the sabotage of communication cable around the same time in a remote area of Chittagong and the images on television of men on rampage who appeared to be non-students lend some credence to the chief adviser's claim............................