“Who Am I? Razakar!”: The Rallying Cry Fueling Bangladesh’s Student Protests

The slogan “Who are you? Who am I? Razakar, Razakar!” has emerged as a rallying cry for student protesters across Bangladesh. With police struggling to manage the escalating violence, armed forces have taken to patrolling the streets after the government imposed a nationwide curfew.

The protests intensified following Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s controversial comments regarding the government job quota system. On July 14, Hasina stated, “If the grandchildren of freedom fighters do not receive [quota] benefits, who would get it? The grandchildren of Razakars?” This remark infuriated students, who responded with the chant: “Tui ke? Ami ke? Razakar, Razakar! (Who are you? Who am I? Razakar, Razakar!)”.

On Friday, protesters stormed the central jail in Narsingdi, freed inmates, and set the facility on fire. At least 115 people have died in the protests amid a ban on public gatherings. Students have accused the police of colluding with the ruling Awami League’s student wing, Chhatra League, and committing acts of brutality. Normal life has been disrupted as telecommunication services were cut off and news channels were taken off the air. Several countries, including India, have issued travel advisories, leading to nearly 1,000 Indian students returning home.

Who are the Razakars in Bangladesh?

The term Razakars refers to a militia that aided the Pakistan Armed Forces in suppressing pro-independence supporters in East Pakistan, now Bangladesh, during the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War. The origins of the Razakars trace back to the princely state of Hyderabad in post-independence India. According to Dr. Muntasir Mamoon, Bangabandhu Chair at Bangladesh’s Chittagong University, they were a paramilitary force used by the Nawab of Hyderabad to resist integration with India after 1947. Following their defeat in Operation Polo by India, their leader Qasim Rizvi migrated to Pakistan.

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In May 1971, Maulana Abul Kalam Muhammad Yusuf, a senior member of Jamaat-e-Islami, formed the first set of Razakars in Khulna, East Pakistan. The armed Razakars consisted of migrated Biharis and socio-economically deprived individuals who helped the Pakistan Army suppress pro-independence freedom fighters and terrorize civilians during the war. In modern Bangladesh, being labeled a ‘Razakar’ is considered the worst form of slur and indignity.

Protesting students have adopted the term as a retort to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s statement, which they found deeply offensive. Another popular slogan is “Chaite gelam odhikar, hoye gelam Razakar.” (“I went to ask for rights; instead became a Razakar.”)

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina questioned whether the protesters truly understood the history of Bangladesh and the role of Razakars in the 1971 genocide and atrocities against Bangladeshi women. “They did not witness the bodies lying in the streets, yet they feel no shame in calling themselves Razakars,” she remarked angrily.

What are Bangladesh students protesting?

The protests are against the country’s government job quota system, which reserves 56 percent of jobs for certain groups. Of this, 30 percent is reserved for descendants of veterans from the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War. Students argue that the current quota system undermines merit and is deeply unfair. They also claim it benefits supporters of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the daughter of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Bangladesh’s first Prime Minister and a hero of the 1971 Liberation War.

Tensions over the quota system are not new in Bangladesh. In 2018, the government scrapped the freedom fighter quota after protests demanded it be capped at 10 percent. On June 5, a division court of the Bangladesh Supreme Court struck down a government circular and restored the 30 percent quota for freedom fighters’ descendants, following a petition by veterans’ children. The ruling Awami League has expressed sympathy for the students’ sentiments and has called for calm until the Supreme Court hears the government’s appeal against the High Court order on August 7.