Bangladesh has not witnessed bloodshed on this scale since the 1971 war.

Instead, some front-line cadres of the ruling party continued to attack protesting students in several places in Dhaka and other parts of the country, and on the orders of the government, its law enforcement agencies launched a manhunt, arresting over 11,000 people in the past two weeks. This figure includes several hundred students, putting their academic future in jeopardy. On August 3, a second round of talks was proposed, but it was too late. Students had already lost faith in this government.

The most unfortunate and illegal event was when detectives detained six key protest coordinators at the Detective Branch headquarters in Dhaka to ensure their “safety.” During the six-day hostage situation, they were forced to record a video message announcing the withdrawal of the movement’s program.

While some of them were still suffering from pain and were being treated at the city hospital, they were detained against their will and forced to stay at the DB headquarters.

Despite all the commotion, no one has been held accountable for inciting the lynch mob against what was initially a peaceful student demonstration. Furthermore, no one has been held accountable for the forcible detention of the quota coordinators or for recording the video message under duress. After all the bloodshed, excessive force and brutality, the student protesters feel cheated and have lost faith in the government.