By Ashis Biswas
Doubts have arisen in Bangladesh as to whether the general elections scheduled on Feb 12 2026 can be held, after yet another major outbreak of mob violence during the last 48 hours.
There have been several deaths as frenzied armed gangs of religious extremists publicly butchered unarmed individuals for ‘disrespecting Islam’ and destroyed public buildings including major media houses, allegedly for their criticism of Muslim fundamentalism. Unconfirmed reports put the death toll at around 80 in Dhaka and other districts, but interim government sources dismissed most reports of death and mayhem committed by frenzied pro Jamaat e Islami activists, as wild exaggeration.
There is no denying that this fresh wave of violence sweeping over Bangladesh on Friday and Saturday, left several deeply disturbing questions unanswered .Established political parties, especially the Bangladesh Nationalist Party(BNP) ,openly declared that the leaders of the present interim government , including Dr M. Yunus, its chief Adviser, had encouraged the violent mob by taking no action, because they did not want any elections to take place soon — certainly not as early as on 12th February, next year. Neither the police nor the army was called in anywhere to stop rampaging armed crowds from wrecking the homes of late Prime Minister Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, or the houses of ex Prime Minister Hasina Wazed, or the Chayanat office, a distinguished cultural centre. The homes and offices of most senior Awami leaders and Ministers had been destroyed in the 2024 anti Government riots, But even the ruins were not spared by pro Jamaat elements who used their shovels and hammers liberally!
The BNP leaders have conveyed their anger at the attacks on their nominees by the Jamaat and the NCP to the Army and the Election Commission. On Sunday night, the EC chief had talks with all the three chiefs of army, navy and airforce and had talks about the law and order situation as also the preparations for holding the February 12 elections in a peaceful manner. Further talks are to be held before the EC and Army take a total view on the Elections. They will observe the situation in the next few days.
Pictures of the poet Tagore as well as those of Kazi NazruI Islam were burnt. The openly anti-Indian character of these mobs, active in Dhaka, Khulna, Mymensingh and parts of Northeast Bangladesh, was evident from their shouting anti India slogans. Also, miscreants threw a barrage of stones at the Indian high Commission office in Dhaka and Indian visa centres in the districts.
Indian officials reacted later to these incidents and registered its protest officially, by summoning Bangladeshi diplomatic staff in Delhi for a meeting. Specifically, Dhaka was told to stop the targeted attacks on Indian institutions immediately, failing which GOI would be forced to take action. Dhaka-based media later reported that GOI’s strong warning led to immediate results the protestors gradually withdrew. Following these moves, the interim government arranged for the posting of some army personnel outside offices and residential quarters of GOI personnel.
From senior BNP leaders like Mr Fakhrul Islam Mirza and others, the allegation was that Dr Yunus wanted to extend his tenure in power and to continue ruling for some more time, depending on the support he received from the Jamaat and the new National Citizens Party (NCP), a new outfit formed by the young leaders of the so-called’ July revolution of 2024′ that ousted the Awami League from power. A section of NCP, like the Jamaat e-Islami (JEI) exhibits its extremist Muslim orientation, and maintains its links with militants pro Islamist organisations in Pakistan, West Asia and elsewhere. .
Among its recent programmes, the most prominent has been its proposed new map of a greater Muslim Bangladesh which will include parts of the Indian Northeast including Assam and Tripura, and much of west Bengal. The map has been circulated to the Islamic countries, India later protested to the new administration in Bangladesh about the matter.
Observers participating in usual TV discussions on Bangladeshi channels as well as in the print media generally agree that Dr Yunus is determined to establish closer relations with Pakistan and China. In the West, he was initially supported by the powerful Democrat lobby led by the Clinton foundation. His microfinance organisation was generously supported by the West. In return he was supposed to remove the strongly nationalist Awami League (AL) from power. Prime Minister Hasina refused to allow the US to set up a base somewhere in the Bay of Bengal., despite a US request. The US felt that it had no effective presence in the Bay of Bengal comparable to that of China, for example.
Now Dr Yunus has already arranged for a trip to Chittagong by a small unit of the US army, which he explained away as being part of a usual movement. Initially, the US had discussed such matters with the BNP while it was in the opposition. But somehow, the perception gained ground that the BNP would not be able to serve Western interests as well as the ambitious Nobel winning Economist, Dr Yunus.
Although the BNP had supported the anti Hasina agitation of 2024, it was not prepared to underplay its own rule in supporting the Bangladeshi fight for freedom in 1970-71, which was carried out in open defiance of the US. Nor was it prepared to sell its interest to the US and its good relations with China. . Now BNP is the target of both Jamaat and the communal section of NCP.
Contrast this with the behaviour of Dr Yunus. The moment present US President Donald Trump, recalling his links with the democrats, expressed his distaste for Yunus openly, Dr Yunus visited China and assured China its readiness to involve the Chinese experts in the defence programmes of the country along with the military people of Pakistan. Dr. Yunus is not asserting at all in his actions against the perpetrators of anti-India violence though some arrests have been made as a face saving measure. The fate of the February 12 elections now hang in the balance. (IPA Service)
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