While the government agreeing to finally hear the protesters out is indeed a sign of reason on its part, it is nonetheless deeply regrettable that the path to this understanding has been paved with so much death and destruction. After all, young children have lost their lives in the run up to the government's realization of its mistake -- a price too steep to pay no matter the circumstance or the outcome.
If only the administration had started where it finished -- seeking common ground with the protesters -- all this violence could have been avoided.
Sending in the Chhatra League to sort out the protesters is what triggered the violence to begin with, while the heavy-handed response from law enforcers only added further fuel to the fire.
The question now is: How can we go back to a place of stability?
As usual, the onus lies squarely on the government to ensure that the protesting students are heard. Truly heard. The movement is beyond the point where mere words and platitudes are going to sway them -- genuine dialogue has to be fostered between the government and the students.
We must also understand that circumstances such as these are fertile grounds for vested quarters to take advantage of. The quota movement had no political ambitions, but it was the government's inability to come to terms with them that allowed for the infiltration from more extreme elements with a more sinister agenda.
If there is any lesson for the government to learn from this entire sorry affair is that BCL is never the answer. The use of force and muscle must be eliminated from our politics at a cultural level. This is what exacerbated the movement and resulted in the violence that the entire nation is witnessing at this very moment.
If our leaders wish to see a prosperous future for the nation, it needs to understand that dialogue not antagonism is the answer.
To that end, an earlier will to listen to the grievances of our youth would have made all the difference in the world.
This editorial piece was first published in the print edition of Dhaka Tribune on July 19, 2024.