The 1990 Mass Uprising,[a] popularly known as '90's Anti-Authoritarian Movement,[b] was a democratic movement that took place on 4 December and led to the fall of General Hussain Muhammad Ershad in Bangladesh. The uprising was the result of a series of popular protests that started from 10 October 1990 to topple General Ershad who came to power in 1982 by imposing martial law and replaced a democratically elected President through a bloodless coup.[1]
The uprising is marked as the starting point of parliamentary democracy in Bangladesh after nine years of military rule and paved the way for a credible election in 1991. Bangladesh Nationalist Party led 7-party alliance, Bangladesh Awami League led 8-party alliance and Leftist 5-party alliance was instrumental in staging the uprising against Ershad.
About hundred people died during the protests those led to the upsurge from 10 October till 4 December, around fifty were the casualty of the violent protests and street fights started from 27 November, after a state of emergency was declared.[2] General Ershad was arrested immediately after the uprising on corruption charges.[3]
Background
Rise of Ershad
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.[4]
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.
We have no plan to participate in the upcoming poll. Those who will participate in this poll will be declared 'national betrayer'.[5]
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.
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.[6][7]
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.[8] According to the Military Secretary of General Ershad during 1990 Major General Manjur Rashid Khan,
(…) ignoring the conflict and mistrust within the battling political parties, Sarbadaliya Chatra Oikya Parishad (All-party Students Council) became the driving force in the mass uprising.[9]
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.[10]
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.[11]
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.[11]
The series of student protests compelled the Ershad regime to think about a safe exit.[12]
Joint declaration
BNP led a seven-party alliance, Awami League led 8-party alliance and Leftist 5-party alliance drafted a "Joint Declaration of Three Alliance" on 19 November 1990.[13]
This declaration was basically a road-map outlining the process to hand over the Presidency of Ershad to a civil government. The declaration included the idea of a caretaker government that would take over after the fall of Ershad and would hold a free and fair election within 90 days of its arrival to power.
The formula of replacing Ershad as the president was:[9]
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.[9]
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[11]
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[14]
6 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.[15]
Politics of Bangladesh takes place in a framework of a parliamentary representative democratic republic, whereby the Prime Minister of Bangladesh is the head of government and of a multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and parliament. The Constitution of Bangladesh was written in 1972 and has undergone seventeen amendments.
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party is a major political party in Bangladesh. Founded on 1 September 1978 by Bangladeshi president Ziaur Rahman with a view of uniting people with a nationalist ideology, BNP later became one of the two dominant parties in Bangladesh, along with its archrival Awami League. Initially a big tent centrist party, it later moved towards more right-wing politics.
Begum Khaleda Zia is a Bangladeshi politician, who served as the prime minister of Bangladesh from 1991 to 1996 and again from 2001 to 2006. She was the first female prime minister of Bangladesh and second female prime minister in the Muslim world, after Benazir Bhutto. She is the widow of one of the former president of Bangladesh, Ziaur Rahman. She is the chairperson and leader of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) since 1984, which was founded by her husband in 1978.
Hussain Muhammad Ershad was a Bangladeshi military officer and politician who served as the president of Bangladesh from 1982 to 1990.
Bangladesh elects on national level a legislature with one house or chamber. The unicameral Jatiyo Sangshad, meaning national parliament, has 350 members of which 300 members are directly elected through a national election for a five-year term in single-seat constituencies while 50 memberships are reserved for the women who are selected by the ruling party or coalition. The Prime Minister is the head of the government. The president who is the head of the state is elected by the National Parliament. The president of Bangladesh is a ceremonial post and does not exercise any control over the running of the state.
The Jatiya Party (Bengali: জাতীয় পার্টি, romanized: Jatiyo Party, lit.'National Party'; JaPa or JP(E)) is a political party in Bangladesh. The current chairman of the party is Ghulam Muhammed Quader. On 3 January 2019, the party announced its decision to join the Bangladesh Awami League-led Grand Alliance after having been in opposition for the previous parliamentary term. However, the party backtracked the next day and announced that it intended to remain part of the opposition.
The Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal is a political party in Bangladesh. The party was founded by Serajul Alam Khan. The party was dominant during the 1972–1975 Bangladesh insurgency. The current party president is Hasanul Haque Inu, and the general secretary is Nazmul Haq Prodhan.
Khandakar Abdur Rashid, better known as Abdur Rashid Tarkabagish was a Bangladeshi politician and Islamic scholar. His career spans from the anti-colonial independence movement to the establishment of both Pakistan and Bangladesh. Tarkabagish was the second president of the All Pakistan Awami Muslim League, and served as a member of the National Assembly of Pakistan and later the Parliament of Bangladesh. Despite being a member of the treasury bench, he opposed what he considered to be the repressive mentality of the Nurul Amin government towards the Bengali Language Movement.
Kazi Zafar Ahmad was a Bangladeshi politician of the Jatiya Party, who was the Prime Minister of Bangladesh from 1989 to 1990.
M Ilias Ali was a Bangladeshi politician and member of the Jatiya Sangsad (2001–2006) representing the Sylhet-2 constituency. He served as the organising secretary of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party.
1990 (MCMXC) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1990th year of the Common Era (CE) and Anno Domini (AD) designations, the 990th year of the 2nd millennium, the 90th year of the 20th century, and the 1st year of the 1990s decade.
The history of Bangladesh (1971–present) refers to the period after the independence of Bangladesh from Pakistan.
General elections were held in Bangladesh on 5 January 2014, in accordance with the constitutional requirement that elections must take place within the 90-day period before the expiration of the term of the Jatiya Sangshad on 24 January 2014.
General elections were held in Bangladesh on 30 December 2018 to elect 300 directly-elected members of the Jatiya Sangsad. The result was another landslide victory for the Awami League-led Grand Alliance led by Sheikh Hasina. The elections were marred by violence, and were widely considered by opposition politicians and the international community to be rigged.
Chittagong massacre refers to a massacre of opposition activists in Chittagong on January 24 of 1988. The activists of Awami League who were rallying in the streets of Chittagong that day were attacked by the police during the regime of autocratic ruler Hussain Muhammad Ershad. The then Chittagong Metropolitan Police Commissioner Mirza Rakibul Huda ordered the police to open fire on the rally that left at least 24 people dead.
An interim government led by the Shahabuddin Ahmed ministry was formed on 9 December 1990 in Bangladesh, following President HM Ershad's resignation on 6 December in the face of a mass uprising against his regime. Shahabuddin had taken office as the acting president of the country after he was unanimously agreed upon by the leaders of all political parties to be ceremoniously appointed by Ershad just before resigning as vice-president in place of Moudud Ahmed. He administered the oath of office to his council of advisers at Bangabhaban on 9 December 1990. During this period, he gave back freedom of the press by amending a number of law including the Special Powers Act.
Najiruddin Jehad was an activist of the pro-democracy movement of Bangladesh that led to the 1990 Mass Uprising in Bangladesh. Jehad, the first casualty of the 1990 Mass Uprising in Bangladesh was killed on 10 October due to the police excesses during the first nationwide strike of the full-fledged movement against Ershad in front of Dainik Bangla intersection of capital Dhaka.
During the 1990s, leader of the BNP Khaleda Zia formed a coalition against Ershad's military regime. 7 political parties joined Khaleda in this coalition.
The History of Awami League, one of the major political party in Bangladesh, dates back to 1949. It's the oldest existing political party in the country which played the leading role in achieving the independence of Bangladesh. It is also one of the two most dominant parties in the country, along with Bangladesh Nationalist Party.
↑ Rahman, Muhammad Habibur (2016). Bangladesher Rajnoitik Ghotonaponjiবাংলাদেশের রাজনৈতিক ঘটনাপঞ্জি ১৯৭১-২০১১ (in Bengali). Prothoma. p.81. ISBN978-984-90255-6-6.
1 2 3 Khan, Manjur Rashid (2015). Amar Sainik Jibon: Pakistan theke Bangladeshআমার সৈনিক জীবনঃ পাকিস্তান থেকে বাংলাদেশ (in Bengali). Prothoma. p.196. ISBN978-984-33-3879-2.
1 2 3 Rahman, Muhammad Habibur (2016). Bangladesher Rajnoitik Ghotonaponjiবাংলাদেশের রাজনৈতিক ঘটনাপঞ্জি ১৯৭১-২০১১ (in Bengali). Prothoma. p.82. ISBN978-984-90255-6-6.
↑ Khan, Manjur Rashid (2015). Amar Sainik Jibon: Pakistan theke Bangladeshআমার সৈনিক জীবনঃ পাকিস্তান থেকে বাংলাদেশ (in Bengali). Prothoma. p.198. ISBN978-984-33-3879-2.
↑ Rono, Haider Akbar Khan (March 2010). Śatābdī pēriẏēশতাব্দী পেরিয়ে (in Bengali). Taraphadara prakashani. p.429. ISBN978-984-779-027-5.
↑ Khan, Manjur Rashid (2015). Amar Sainik Jibon: Pakistan theke Bangladeshআমার সৈনিক জীবনঃ পাকিস্তান থেকে বাংলাদেশ (in Bengali). Prothoma. p.200. ISBN978-984-33-3879-2.
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