AnarWiki/markdown/Mass_Uprising_in_Bangladesh.md

The **Mass Uprising in Bangladesh** was a [democratic
revolution](List_of_Revolutions "wikilink") in
[Bangladesh](Bangladesh "wikilink") in
[1990](Timeline_of_Libertarian_Socialism_in_Southern_Asia "wikilink")
that toppled the country's [military
dictatorship](Ershad_Dictatorship "wikilink"). It was part of a
[worldwide wave of anti-authoritarian
movements](Revolutions_of_1986_-_1992 "wikilink").

## Background

Since its bloody war for indepedence in 1971, Bangladesh had been an
unstable region

After the assassination of Ziaur Rahman on 30 May 1981 and the takeover
of power by Vice-President Justice Abdus Sattar as the acting President
of Bangladesh, Bangladesh Army Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Hussain
Muhammad Ershad extended his support to the acting President Sattar. But
later, General Ershad in an interview to The Guardian opined that there
should a specific role of the military in the government and civil
administration which was refuted by the President.

Infuriated General Ershad imposed a martial law on 24 March 1982 and
declared himself as the Chief Martial Law Administrator. He replaced
Justice Sattar with Justice A. F. M. Ahsanuddin Chowdhury as the
President. On 11 April 1983, Hussain Muhammad Ershad suspended the
constitution and declared himself as the President of Bangladesh.

### Political opposition

The first major opposition Ershad had to deal with was the Anti-Majid
Khan Education Policy movement in 1983. Amid state of emergency,
hundreds of thousands of students gathered to protest the proposed
education policy that was aimed at making Arabic a mandatory language to
learn in primary level education. In the two days of street battles (14
and 15 February 1983) in the University of Dhaka, at least five died who
were identified as Dipali Saha, Kanchan, Joynal, Mozammel and Zafar,
since then 14 February is observed as *Anti-autocracy Day* in
Bangladesh.<sup>\[2\]</sup>

Soon after the movement, Awami League forged an alliance with 15 other
parties and BNP forged an alliance with 7 other parties to resist the
Ershad regime and launch a movement from September 1983. The movement
was later slowed down due to the split in both parties and alliances.

### General election 1986

In March 1986, Ershad declared that a general election would be held on
7 May. BNP led 7-Party Alliance decided to boycott the election and
declared nationwide strikes to foil the election. 15-Party Alliance led
by Awami League initially declared to boycott the election on 17 March
1986.

On 19 March at the Laldighi field of Chittagong, Sheikh Hasina declared:

But later, on the night of 21 March 1986, Sheikh Hasina declared that
the Awami League and 15-party alliance will join the election.
Infuriated by the decision, five leftist parties including Workers
Party, Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal etc. of the 15-party alliance withdrew
themselves from the alliance after the announcement and decided to
boycott the election with 7-party alliance.

The sudden participation of Awami League and its seven allies in the
election gave a relief for next couple of years to the Ershad regime
that had already launched a new party Jatiya Party and weakened the
anti-Ershad movement for next couple of years.

### Revival of the movement

After the defeat in 1986 general elections, Awami League led 8-party
alliance took a streets once again that bolstered the movement launched
by BNP led 7-party alliance and Leftist 5-party alliance in 1987.

The leaders of two major alliances of the time Begum Khaleda Zia and
Sheikh Hasina decided to move for a unified movement against the Ershad
regime after a meeting on 28 October 1987 at Mahakhali of the capital.

Begum Khaleda Zia addressing a sit in on 28 November 1989

The movement reached a new peak in 1987 after the death of Nur Hossain
who died during a police firing on a Jubo League rally. BNP, Awami
League and all other parties started nationwide agitation in response to
the police excesses. But eventually the movement in 1987–88 did not see
much success due to the repressive measures from the government like the
frequent house arrests of Begum Khaleda Zia and Sheikh Hasina.

## Student movement

Beside the parties, the students and members of the civil society played
an instrumental role in the upsurge. The Dhaka University Central
Students' Union (DUCSU) has always contributed the most in the courses
of history of Bangladesh. But during the lack of farsightedness and
betrayal of some of the DUCSU leaders in 1980s, anti-Ershad movement
lost its appeal among the students.

In February 1989, Bangladesh Chhatra League, Bangladesh Students Union
and the leftist student organisations gave a joint panel under Chatra
Shangram Parishad (Students Action Council) won the majority of the
posts in the DUCSU election and Sultan Mansur Ahmed became the
Vice-President of DUCSU. But this committee was proven as a failed one
to challenge the regime and could not contribute much in the anti-Ershad
movement.

In June 1990, Amanullah Aman-Khairul Kabir Khokan panel backed by Chatra
Dal won the DUCSU election in full panel as well as almost all the hall
unions of the university. Amanullah Aman became the Vice-President of
the union with Khairul Kabir Khokan as the general secretary.

Routing all the organisation in the DUCSU election, Chatra Dal took the
lead of the students' movement in the University of Dhaka
campus.<sup>\[4\]\[5\]</sup>

DUCSU leaders and their followers mostly Chatra Dal men started holding
rallies and sit in programs in the campus area in 1990 in protest to the
Ershad regime. The huge activist pool of Chatra Dal started taking part
in political programs declared by the three alliances from September
1990.

The Chatra Dal led DUCSU committee forged an alliance with all existing
students group in the campus, Sarbadaliya Chatra Oikya Parishad
(All-party Students Council) and staged a demonstration on 1 October
1990.<sup>\[6\]</sup> According to the Military Secretary of General
Ershad during 1990 Major General Manjur Rashid Khan,

The protests turned violent after the police firing on a rally of Chatra
Dal on 10 October that claimed the life of Naziruddin Jehad, a Chatra
Dal leader from Sirajganj who came to Dhaka to participate the
nationwide strike called by the three alliances against
Ershad.<sup>\[8\]</sup>

On 4 November, the council of students rallied at the Gulistan area of
the capital where they were met with police excesses. The students'
alliance declared to siege the colony of minister's on 17 November 1990.
The program turned into a violent one when hundreds of students from the
university campus locked into a battle with police that left hundreds of
students injured. The student body on 21 November held another
procession and locked in a clash with police.<sup>\[9\]</sup>

On 27 November, during a program of the students council, armed cadres
of Jatiya Party opened fire on the students that ensued a gun battle
with the armed cadres of Chatra Dal. While passing the Teacher-Students
Centre intersection of the University of Dhaka, physician Shamsul Alam
Khan Milon was shot by the Jatiya Party cadres and later died. This
incident enraged the students and the council demanded the resignation
of all ministers of the cabinet by 30 November and declared that if
their demands are not met, the cabinet members would face dire
consequences.

On the following day, the students came out from the campus with rally
which was attacked by police and BDR personnel. On 28 November,
stick-welding students from the University of Dhaka staged demonstration
in surrounding areas of the campus. Students blocked the railway in
Malibagh of the capital and forced the driver to stop the train and
flee.<sup>\[9\]</sup>

The series of student protests compelled the Ershad regime to think
about a safe exit.<sup>\[10\]</sup>

## Joint declaration

BNP led 7-party alliance, Awami League led 8-party alliance and Leftist
5-party alliance drafted a "Joint Declaration of Three Alliance" on 19
November 1990.<sup>\[11\]</sup>

This declaration was basically a road-map outlining the process to
handover the Presidency of Ershad to a civil government. The declaration
included the idea of a caretaker government that will take over after
the fall of Ershad and will hold a free and fair election within 90 days
of its arrival to the power.

The formula of replacing Ershad as the President was:<sup>\[7\]</sup>

  - Compelling Ershad to resign from his post and appoint the
    Vice-President as his replacement
  - The Vice-President after being appointed as the President will

appoint a person whose name will be proposed by the three alliances as
the Vice-President

  - The Vice-President turned President will resign from his post
    appointing the newly appointed Vice-President as his replacement
  - The newly appointed President will take oath as the President and
    will form a ten-member advisory council
  - The President and his advisory council will have to hold a free and
    fair election within 90 days

## Chronology of events

  - **10 October 1990**

Nationwide strike observed by BNP led 7-party alliance, Awami League led
8-party alliance and Leftist 5-party alliance.

The strike claimed 5 lives, including the three BNP activists who were
rallying in front of the central office of Jatiya Party and succumbed to
death when the Jatiya Party cadres opened fire on the
crowd.<sup>\[7\]</sup>

  - **14 October 1990**

Action Day observed by BNP led 7-party alliance, Awami League led
8-party alliance and Leftist 5-party alliance.

  - **16 October 1990**

Half day nationwide strike observed by BNP led 7-party alliance, Awami
League led 8-party alliance and Leftist 5-party alliance. Awami League
declared a series of political programs demanding the resignation of
Ershad

  - **27 October 1990**

Nationwide bus-rail blockade observed by BNP led 7-party alliance, Awami
League led 8-party alliance and Leftist 5-party alliance

  - **4 November 1990**

Police attacks students rally in the Gulistan area of the capital, more
than fifty students receive injury

  - **5 November 1990**

Siege the Radio-Television building program observed by BNP led 7-party
alliance, Awami League led 8-party alliance and Leftist 5-party alliance

  - **10 November 1990**

24 hours long nationwide strike observed BNP led 7-party alliance, Awami
League led 8-party alliance and Leftist 5-party alliance, another 48
hours nationwide strike declared

  - **17 November 1990**

Siege the Minister's colony observed. Hundreds of students from the
university campus locked into a battle with police while advancing
towards Minister's colony at Mintoo Road area. Around one hundred
students injured

  - **19 November 1990**

The three alliances provide a road-map for the handover of power in a
joint declaration

  - **20 November 1990**

24 hours long nationwide strike observed by the three alliances, claimed
two lives leaving hundreds injured Residence of Begum Khaleda Zia came
under attack during the strike

  - **21 November 1990**

The student body on 21 November held another procession and locked in a
clash with police<sup>\[9\]</sup>

  - **27 November 1990**

Dr. Shamsul Alam Khan Milon killed by Jatiya Party (Ershad) cadres in
the university campus Censorship imposed on the newspapers enabling
strict monitoring, newspaper owners and journalists decided not to
publish newspapers from the very next day

Ershad declares state of emergency, curfew imposed

  - **28 November 1990**

Students defy curfew, stick-welding students hold rowdy processions all
around the capital

Opposition leaders address a rally at Shahid Minar

Railway blocked at Malibagh, driver flee leaving the train on the line

  - **29 November 1990**

All the teachers of the University of Dhaka led by the Vice-Chancellor
M. Maniruzzaman Miah declared to resign from their post and would not
return to classes until the resignation of Ershad

  - **1 December 1990**

In the Mirpur area of the capital the BDR (now Border Guards Bangladesh)
opened fire on a crowd that was rallying in support of nationwide
shutdown called by the opposition parties that claimed five lives. In
Kazipara of the capital, two died in police excesses

In the port city Chittagong a labour leader died when the Bangladesh
Army men opened fire on a rowdy procession of the labour groups

A rickshaw-puller died during a clash in Narayanganj that day

During the night, five died in Mirpur including a student and two
labourers

One succumbed to his injuries in Nilkhet area of the capital at night

  - **2 December 1990**

General Ershad in a public address called for both parliamentary and
presidential elections as soon as possible

  - **3 December 1990**

Bombs were hurled at the Bangladesh Army controlled Sena Kalyan Sangstha
building at Motijhil<sup>\[12\]</sup>

  - **4 December 1990**

Hundreds of thousands of people rally in the streets of Dhaka, the
capital of Bangladesh paralysed

Ershad submitted his resignation accepting the demands of the parties