Non-cooperation Movement (2024)

The non-cooperation movement was a protest against the government of Bangladesh, initiated within the framework of the 2024 Bangladesh quota reform movement. The sole demand of this movement was the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her cabinet.

Although initially limited to the goal of reforming quotas in government jobs, the movement snowballed into a mass anti-government uprising after the deaths of several protesters. The movement was also fueled by ongoing socio-economic and political issues, including the government's mismanagement of the national economy, rampant corruption by government officials, human rights violations, allegations of undermining the country's sovereignty by Sheikh Hasina, and increasing authoritarianism and democratic backsliding.

On 3 August 2024, coordinators of the Anti-discrimination Students Movement announced a one-point demand for the resignation and called for "comprehensive non-cooperation". The following day, violent clashes broke out, resulting in the deaths of 97 people, including students. The coordinators called for a long march to Dhaka to force Hasina out of power on 5 August. That day, a large crowd of protesters made its way through the capital. At 2:30 p.m. BST, Sheikh Hasina resigned and fled to India. Widespread celebrations and violence occurred following her removal, resulting in hundreds of deaths, while the military and President Mohammed Shahabuddin announced the formation of an interim government to be led by economist and Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus.

Background

During the quota reform movement in 2024, participants—particularly students—faced resistance, mass arrests, and numerous deaths and injuries at the hands of police and other security forces. Six coordinators of the initial quota reform movement were also detained and were forcefully made to announce the conclusion of the protests by the Detective Branch (DB) of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP). These events and authoritarianism fuelled people's anger against the government. On the morning of 3 August, one of the movement coordinators, Asif Mahmud, stated in a Facebook post that they would start a "non-cooperation movement" against the government, saying that it would be similar to that of " March '71". In the afternoon, Prime Minister Hasina proposed talks with the protesters, saying that "The doors of Ganabhaban (the Prime Minister's official residence) are open".

The Anti-discrimination Students Movement previously called for day-long protest programmes on 3 August. After day-long protests, students and ordinary people gathered at the central Shaheed Minar area with protest marches from different parts of Dhaka. At around 5:30 p.m., Nahid Islam, one of the coordinators, addressed the assembled crowd at Shaheed Minar and announced that the movement's exclusive demand was the resignation of Hasina and her cabinet. He also called for a comprehensive non-cooperation movement starting from 4 August and announced that they had no plans to negotiate with the government. He added that "we were forcefully offered to sit in talks with the Prime Minister. But we protested against this proposal by going on a hunger strike in DB custody."

Timeline

4 August

Thousands of protesters gathered at the Shahbag intersection in the morning, obstructing it as a form of civil disobedience to demand the government's resignation.

At least 97 people died nationwide in confrontations, shootings, and pursuits related to the Non-cooperation movement. Fourteen police officers were killed across the country, with 13 deaths occurring at the Enayetpur police station in Sirajganj. Another officer was killed in Eliotganj, Comilla. Twenty-seven police facilities were attacked and vandalized, and a hundred policemen were injured in these incidents, according to an official statement by the Bangladesh Police.

In Dhaka, unidentified individuals set fire to and damaged various vehicles, including cars, ambulances, motorcycles, and buses, at the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University during the protests. By 12:00 p.m., users across the country reported internet inaccessibility. The government ordered the closure of Facebook, Messenger, WhatsApp, Instagram, and all other Meta-owned services, directing internet service providers to comply after 1:00 p.m. Later, the Minister of Information and Broadcasting Mohammad A. Arafat confirmed that some social media platforms were blocked temporarily to prevent rumors from spreading amid protests. An indefinite nationwide curfew was imposed starting at 6:00 p.m. Additionally, all courts were also ordered to close indefinitely.

The government declared a three-day general holiday starting from 5 August, during which banks will also remain closed. The Anti-Discrimination Students Movement confirmed their intention to march towards Dhaka on 6 August to demand the Prime Minister's resignation. The Bangladesh University Teachers' Network proposed a framework for an interim government, suggesting it be composed of teachers, judges, lawyers, and representatives from civil society, reflecting the views of various civil and political groups for a democratic transition.

Asif Mahmud, a coordinator of the Anti-Discrimination Students Movement, announced that their march to Dhaka has been rescheduled to 5 August, instead of 6 August. He called on protesters and civilians nationwide to march toward the capital and participate in the civil disobedience.
Several former Bangladesh Army officers, including former chief of staff Iqbal Karim Bhuiyan, held a press briefing urging soldiers to return to camps and refrain from getting involved in the political crisis or being used against civilians.

5 August

The Anti-discrimination Students Movement rejected the curfew. In response to calls for the march to Dhaka, DMP Commissioner Habibur Rahman warned of zero tolerance, saying that firm legal action will be taken against those who violate the curfew. It was reported that Hasina had been taken to a "safe shelter". Up to 135 people were killed during protests that day. Additionally, the resignation of Sheikh Hasina accomplished the goal of the movement, which was to end the incumbent government's rule.

Resignation of Sheikh Hasina

On 5 August 2024, at around 3:00 p.m. BST (09:00 GMT), Prime Minister Hasina resigned and fled the country on a helicopter with her sister, Sheikh Rehana to India, Hasina's biggest ally, arriving in Delhi via Agartala. Although she intended to record a speech, she did not have the opportunity to do so. Hasina's son, Sajeeb Wazed, later said that her mother had begun considering whether to resign as early as 3 August, but was only convinced to do so by close relatives who had been interceded to by senior military and police officials according to media reports. These also said that her decision was further compounded by analyses given by the security establishment during meetings with her on 4 August, which determined that they could no longer guarantee her security. Senior police officers had also warned her that their forces were running out of ammunition.

Storming of Ganabhaban

Shortly after Sheikh Hasina's departure, at around 3:00 p.m. BST, protesters breached the gates of the Ganabhaban and entered the Prime Minister's residence looting, vandalizing and destroying numerous items, including furniture. They rummaged office files and sat on her bed as well as her chair to take selfies. Some protesters ate food and stole live animals, while others took Hasina's luxury Dior suitcase and her sarees.

Sheikh Hasina's departure

Reports indicated that Hasina, along with her sister Sheikh Rehana and senior Awami League official Salman F Rahman, fled Ganabhaban aboard a military helicopter before transferring to a C-130 Hercules aircraft of the Bangladesh Air Force. An internet blackout was enforced to hinder the tracking of her movements. Initial reports suggested Hasina's flight, carrying the callsign AJAX1431, would land in Agartala, in the Indian state of Tripura. AJAX1431 switched off its transponder at around 17:00 local time over Lucknow, rendering the aircraft untraceable. Shortly, she was reported to have landed at the Hindan Air Force Station in Ghaziabad, on the outskirts of the Indian capital New Delhi and was reportedly received by the Indian National Security Advisor, Ajit Doval at the base. Her arrival in Delhi was subsequently confirmed by Indian foreign minister S. Jaishankar. Sheikh Hasina is living in a secret location within India under tight security.

Flightradar24 reported that her flight was, at one point, the most tracked flight worldwide, with other civilian aircraft travelling into and out of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka also being highly tracked. She is expected to proceed to London for her safe passage and seek political asylum in the United Kingdom, where Rehana's eldest daughter, Labour Party MP Tulip Siddiq is Economic Secretary to the Treasury under the incumbent Prime Minister Keir Starmer, while her youngest daughter Azmina Siddiq works for Control Risks as a global risk analysis editor. However, such plans are believed to be on hold due to indications from the UK government that she would not receive legal protection from investigations into the violence in Bangladesh.

In addition to Sheikh Hasina, several figures associated with her administration and the Awami League fled or attempted to flee Bangladesh. This group included Hasan Mahmud, the former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Zunaid Ahmed Palak, the former Minister of state for Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology, and Ziaul Ahsan, the former Director General of the National Telecommunication Monitoring Centre. All were detained at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on 6 August.

Reprisal attacks against Awami League and police

On the same day Hasina resigned, protesters vandalized statues of her father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the former president of Bangladesh, in Dhaka. They also set the Awami League's headquarters in Dhaka ablaze as well. The vandalizing of Mujibur Rahman's statues has been compared with that of Saddam Hussain's statue in Baghdad on 2003. Houses or businesses of several Awami League leaders and activists were attacked. The Indira Gandhi Cultural Centre operated by the Indian Council for Cultural Relations and Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's residence in Dhanmondi where he and his family were assassinated by military personnel in 1975, known as Bangabandhu Memorial Museum, were burnt and ransacked by the demonstrators. Two pro-government television stations were also forced off-air after being torched by demonstrators, including ATN Bangla. The Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban, which houses the Parliament of Bangladesh, was also stormed by protesters who took 40 weapons from the building's security, although these were later returned by students. The house of the Chief Justice of Bangladesh was vandalized by rioters who climbed the walls. Sheikh Rehana's residence in Gulshan, Dhaka, was also looted.

At least 29 officials of the Awami League and associated groups as well as their relatives were killed in the nationwide violence. An Awami League office in Chittagong was also set ablaze. Two vehicles of Border Guard Bangladesh were set ablaze by the rioters and five were killed in clashes between BGB and demonstrators. Jails were attacked in the Satkhira and Sherpur districts, leading to prisoners escaping, including 596 in Satkhira alone, although more than 400 of them later voluntarily returned within days. An Awami League leader in Satkhira was hacked to death along with four associates after fatally shooting three members of a crowd that attacked his residence. An installation of Bangladesh Ansar and Village Defence Force was also vandalized and partially burnt. Ansar retaliated by killing two demonstrators. In Bogra, a police station was attacked and an Awami League office was set ablaze. A violent mob attacked Baniachang police station in Habiganj and set it ablaze. Police retaliated killing six rioters. A total of 150 people, including police personnel were wounded in the incident.

Six people were killed and more than a hundred wounded in Kushtia when police opened fire on rioters. Seven police stations were burnt and destroyed in Chittagong. In Manikganj, a police station was vandalized, in retaliation police killed a demonstrator. A peaceful victory march by demonstrators was carried out in Srimangal but police opened fire wounding more than a hundred. In Jessore, at least 24 people, including an Indonesian national, were killed after a hotel belonging to a district leader of the Awami League was set on fire. Two union council chairs were beaten to death by mobs in separate incidents in Khulna and Chandpur. Clashes between BGB and demonstrators led to the deaths of six including a BGB soldier in Gazipur, where a protest outside a jail also resulted in the escape of 209 inmates. Five people were killed in a clash between Awami League leaders and activists in Kishoreganj that also injured hundreds including journalists.

Operations at the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka were suspended for a period of eight hours. The Higher Secondary Certificate examinations, which were originally scheduled for the 11 August, had to be postponed. This decision was made after the question papers suffered damage during the attacks on police stations.

Violence against minorities

Violence against Hindus also took place, with the killing of Kajal Roy, a Hindu councillor from the Awami League in Rangpur. Properties, houses and temples belonging to the Hindu community were burned, looted or vandalized. In total, attacks on Hindus occurred in 30 districts, including Chittagong, Netrakona, Faridpur, and Feni. On the other hand, incidents were reported of students and members of the Muslim community, including madrasa students standing guard at temples and churches.

Misinformation by Indian media

Reports have emerged about Indian media disseminating fake news concerning attacks on minorities in Bangladesh. Advocate Gobinda Pramanik, the president of the Bangladesh Jatiya Hindu Mohajote (Bangladesh National Hindu Grand Alliance), criticized these media outlets for spreading misinformation. He claimed that only the homes of certain Awami League leaders—both Hindus and Muslims, who had a history of aggressive actions, were specifically targeted and vandalized. He also highlighted that leaders and activists from opposition parties such as the BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami were actively safeguarding Hindu temples and homes to prevent any potential attacks.

Aftermath

Restoration of services

As per reports, broadband internet services were reinstated approximately at 1:00 p.m. BST on 5 August, followed by the restoration of cellular internet access after 2:00 p.m. BST. However, access to social media platforms continued to be restricted. The curfew was rescinded on 6 August, and offices, businesses, and schools were permitted to resume operations on the same day.

Interim government formation

On 5 August, the Chief of Army Staff, Waker-uz-Zaman, convened a meeting with representatives from the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), Jatiya Party (Ershad), and Jamaat-e-Islami and called for the creation of an interim government within 48 hours, excluding the Awami League. Subsequent reports indicated that Muhammad Yunus, a Nobel laureate, had been approached to be the head of the interim government. Other possible names for the head of government included Salahuddin Ahmed, a former governor of Bangladesh Bank, retired General Jahangir Alam Chowdhury, and lawyer Sara Hossain. The nomination of Yunus, who accepted the advisory role in the interim government, has also been supported by prominent figures within the student movement. In addition, Waker-uz-Zaman pledged an investigation by the military into the preceding incidents of violence and issued an order prohibiting security forces from opening fire on crowds.

President Mohammed Shahabuddin issued an order for the release of all students who had been detained during the protests, as well as Khaleda Zia, the former prime minister and chairperson of the BNP. Zia has been a long-standing political adversary of Sheikh Hasina. This decision was made unanimously at a meeting attended by major opposition parties and the heads of the armed services. On 6 August, in response to an ultimatum from the student movement that warned of further demonstrations, Shahabuddin dissolved the Jatiya Sangsad. Additionally, a reorganization was carried out within the Bangladesh Armed Forces, while Chowdhury Abdullah Al Mamun was removed as Inspector-General of the Bangladesh Police. Following a meeting with student leaders on 6 August, Shahabuddin formally appointed Yunus on 7 August as head of the interim government, Yunus, who was in Paris, returned to Dhaka on 8 August and is expected to be inaugurated later in the day.

Police strike

On 6 August, the Bangladesh Police Service Association initiated a strike, demanding for enhanced security measures for its members. The association expressed regret for the role of the police force in the recent unrest and violence. It stated that its officers were "forced to open fire", subsequently being portrayed as the “villain.” Students and several paramilitary personnel were subsequently seen directing traffic and maintaining law and order functions in Dhaka, while Bangladesh Air Force personnel were deployed to secure Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport. Inspector-General of Police, Mainul Islam, issued an order for all officers to report for duty by the evening of 8 August.

Stock Market and Banking

On 6 August, the Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) saw a positive reaction from investors during its first opening following the resignation of Sheikh Hasina. The broad-based index of the DSE, known as DSEX, experienced its largest increase since 3 January. A total of twelve stocks reached their upper circuits, which permit a maximum daily price increase of 10%. This marked a significant improvement from the previous few weeks of student protests, during which most stocks were hitting their lower circuits, restricting the daily price fall to no more than 3%. The indices began with a substantial upward gap, which is considered the strongest opening in the last three to four years.

On 7 August, several officials from the Bangladesh Bank initiated a protest near the governor's office. Their objective was to compel the resignation of certain high-ranking officials due to their alleged involvement in corruption.

Reactions

Domestic

In her first public statement since her release, Khaleda Zia praised "the brave people who were in a do-or-die struggle to make possible the impossible" and urged restraint and the need for "love and peace" in rebuilding Bangladesh. Tarique Rahman, who is currently serving as the acting chair of the BNP and is based in London, asserted that "Hasina’s resignation is a testament to the power of the people" and urged for "restraint". During a rally in Dhaka on 7 August, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir called for the holding of fair elections within three months.

Muhammad Yunus, who was in Paris undergoing a medical procedure, hailed Hasina's resignation as Bangladesh's "second Liberation Day". He also committed to return to Bangladesh "without delay", responding affirmatively to a request from the student movement to provide guidance to the interim government.

Sheikh Hasina's son and adviser Sajeeb Wazed initially said on 5 August that his mother would retire from politics but subsequently said on 7 August that she and the Awami League would remain active in the Bangladeshi political scene.

International

* : Vice-President of the European Commission, Josep Borrell called for "calm and restraint" stating orderly and peaceful transition towards a democratically elected government is vital. He added that human rights and democratic principles must be respected.
* : The Ministry of External Affairs stated that the Indian Government is closely monitoring the unfolding events in Bangladesh, and assured continuous support to its citizens. It advised Indian nationals to exercise utmost caution while in Bangladesh and to maintain regular contact with the High Commission of India in Dhaka. In response to the situation, India has placed its Border Security Force on high alert along its 4,096 km border with Bangladesh. Additionally, India has suspended all train and flight services to Dhaka, while the state government of Meghalaya has enforced a night curfew in areas bordering Bangladesh. The movement of goods at the Petrapole border crossing has also been put on hold. The Delhi Police increased security at the Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi.
* : The Foreign Ministry described the events as an "internal affair" of Bangladesh and expressed hope for a quick return to constitutional norms.
* : Foreign Secretary David Lammy urged the United Nations (UN) to conduct a comprehensive and independent probe into the recent events in Bangladesh. The spokesperson for Prime Minister Keir Starmer labeled the violence as "completely unacceptable", expressing deep concern over the "significant loss of life, including of students, children and law enforcement officers". Meanwhile, the Bangladeshi community in Whitechapel, London, celebrated the removal of Sheikh Hasina from power.
* : Secretary-General António Guterres called for a "peaceful, orderly and democratic transition". His spokesperson, Farhan Haq, advocated for an independent, impartial, and transparent investigation into the violence.
* : The White House issued a call for the formation of a democratic interim government and has urged all involved parties to cease further violence and expedite the restoration of peace. In an advisory released on 6 August, US citizens were strongly advised against traveling to Bangladesh "due to civil unrest, crime, and terrorism".

See also

* Non-cooperation movement
** Non-cooperation movement (1971)
** Non-cooperation movement (1919–1922)
* Bangladesh protests (2022–24)
* 2024 Bangladesh quota reform movement
* 1969 East Pakistan mass uprising
* 1990 Bangladesh mass uprising
* 2022 Sri Lankan protests - similar protests in Sri Lanka in which the abdicated head of government's official residence was vandalised by protestors
* 2011 Egyptian revolution - similar protests by the youth which toppled the regime of Hosni Mubarak
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Notes

References

External links

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2024 Bangladesh quota reform movement
2024 protests
August 2024 events in Bangladesh
Sheikh Hasina
Student protests in Bangladesh