Oxford Analytica on Bangladesh's Student Uprising

BANGLADESH: Students protest against troop presence
BANGLADESH: Student protests spread from Dhaka to Chittagong and Kushtia today, after clashes with police at Dhaka University yesterday left several injured. According to local media reports, protests erupted after a dispute involving soldiers and students at a football match on the university campus in the capital.

It is the first serious outbreak of violence since January, when a military-backed caretaker government was installed after the postponement of general elections. Emergency rule has been in place ever since, including a ban on protests. A vigorous anti-corruption campaign and the prospect of an overhaul of the political system under the new government meant that it earned support domestically and overseas.

However, signs of weakness within the government -- in its handling of the recent floods, for example -- are causing frustration and there are concerns about the prospect of extended military rule. Students are demanding the withdrawal of troops from the campus and they burnt effigies of army chief General Moeen U Ahmed.

The government is increasingly unpopular, but is only set to become more so as it adopts more authoritarian tactics. There is a danger that the military will assume direct power, although there is considerable international pressure on Dhaka to proceed towards timely elections.

Updates on Dhaka University

Here is the latest bdnews24.com story:

Police fired teargas Tuesday to quell protests that spilled into its second day amid a strike at Dhaka University as more than 1,000 angry students marched through the troubled campus.

The marauding students smashed several vehicles at Shahbagh and Nilkhet on the fringe of the campus as the overnight battle raged on.

The demonstrators also set fire to an army car in front of Aziz Super Market in Shahbagh. They attacked an army driver who suffered head injuries and was taken to hospital.

The Dhaka University Teachers Association has thrown their weight behind the students demanding army pullout from the campus. The association, after an emergency meeting, demanded the army camp be withdrawn from the campus by Wednesday noon, said Professor Akhteruzzaman, a member of the association.

The university Syndicate also sat in a meeting to review the situation.

Sirajul Islam, convenor of the provost standing committee, speaking separately to reporters, condemned Monday night's police action at the dormitories.

The protests spilled over into other institutions including the Jahangirnagar University, as students boycotted class and put up barricades on Dhaka-Aricha highway for a while. They smashed several passing vehicles on the highway and briefly clashed with police.

The protests are the first major defiance of the restrictions clamped under the emergency rules. More than 100 students were injured in violent clashes with troops and police Monday night after the students burst into protest against army action.

bdnews24.com correspondents and photographers said the situation on the DU campus became volatile Tuesday morning after students came out of their dormitories defying tight security.

Attempt to clip Bangladesh Military?

This is the largest committee in the US Senate. It writes legislation that annually allocates federal funds to the numerous government agencies, departments.

Read bdnews24 story:

Bangladesh under US watch for military funds

An influential US committee has marked Bangladesh for special watch for the human rights record of the country's security forces, according to an official document.

The US Congressional Appropriations Committee has already nodded a bill, and it is expected to be passed into a law next month, according to the document available to bdnews24.com.

Once the bill is signed into a law, Bangladesh will be the latest on the US watch list as countries such as Haiti, Guatemala, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sri Lanka, Ethiopia, Libya, Angola, Nepal, Pakistan, Philippines, Indonesia, Bosnia, Herzegovina and Nigeria are already in the group.
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Is Hasina's fate sealed!

Rumour now circulating says Chief Justice was briefed by powerful quarters about three verdicts that Supreme Court is to deliver today.

Interestingly, Barriseter Shaheb was not there, sources said.

Let us wait to see.

Mujib was alive when Dalim made radio announcement

Radio Dhaka Station was captured at 4:00 AM on 15th August. Anthony Mascarenhas said Dalim made radio announcement at 5:15, as there were some confusion and chaos. Mujib was killed around 5:40 AM, as Mascarenhas said.

So, if we take this account as fact, then Mujib was still alive when radio announcement was made by Dalim. Remember, Mujib made phone calls to Army Chief General Shafiullah for his rescue.

It is probabale that Dalim's premature announcement over the radio may have forced the plotters to kill Mujib.

Is there any one who can piece to-gether all avaialble information and reconstruct the scene to see what really happened?

Most uninspiring flood speech by CA

Chief Advisor's 'flood speech' to the nation to night was the most 'uninspiring'. The face was blank and appearance was pale and words used will is unlikely to be heeded. In fact, how many tuned to see this speech is a matter of research. Let us wait to see media's reporting on this.

Is Mainul preparing us for something else?

Now that Mainul has warned us of another 'catestrophic future', should we not ask: is he preparing us for something else? What 'else' that could be?

Remember, in TV talk shows last year Mainul insisted on accepting ' truncated election' on 22 January and warned us of something else. We did not listen (!) and got 1/11.

What else we will get if we don't listen to him this time as well?

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Tin Jug Shadhinatar Ei Holo Sambal