Happiness, concern among British-Bangladeshis after Sheikh Hasina's downfall

London, Aug 6 (PTI) There is a mixture of happiness at the downfall of the Sheikh Hasina-led Bangladeshi government and concern for the safety of their loved ones among the country's diaspora in the UK on Tuesday, a day after the longtime prime minister resigned and fled the country.

Student groups across some UK universities had been organising protests for some days now in solidarity with the student-led protests in Bangladesh against a controversial job quota scheme, which turned into violent anti-government agitation. Within the British-Bangladeshi restaurant industry, the predominant business for the over 650,000-strong diaspora, many celebrated at the end of Awami League regime after 15 years in power.

"We are very happy, it is our independence day,” said Babul Choudhury, manager of the popular Sonargaon restaurant in Whitechapel, the British Bangladeshi hub of Brick Lane in east London.

"We were out on the streets to celebrate the moment we heard the news. Things will only get better now that we are finally free (of the government),” he said.

Other restaurateurs from the community were more reserved in their reactions, expressing concern for their family and friends living through some of Bangladesh’s most violent protests in recent weeks.

"We remain concerned about the situation in Bangladesh and remain hopeful that things will get better in time,” said Sharif Islam, Director of the Feast and Mishti buffet restaurant in Whitechapel.

A demonstration called by the Union of Bangladeshi Students in the UK entitled ‘Students Power Revolution’ at Altab Ali Park in Whitechapel on Monday evening turned into a celebration as the news of Hasina’s exit broke across London.

Students were joined by several members of the British-Bangladeshi community as they marched to the park waving the country’s green and red national flag and chanted slogans against the ousted regime.

“National Union of Students UK (NUSUK) stands in solidarity with Bangladeshi student protesters and reaffirms their right to peaceful protest. We recognise the importance of international solidarity in fighting repression and so, we wish to draw the attention of our students, and others, in the UK to this situation,” the students’ body said in a statement.

Amnesty International was among the human rights groups who condemned the “heavy-handed response” from the authorities to the student protests in Bangladesh, demanding reforms to the quota-system which reserves 30 per cent of government jobs for descendants of independence war veterans – which the protesters claimed unjustly favoured supporters of the ruling party.

"After comparisons with students leading pro-democracy movement and Tiananmen Square… shades of the (Iraqi leader) Saddam Hussain statue being toppled in Bangladesh,” British Bangladeshi Labour MP Rupa Huq posted on her social media, with reference to the Sheikh Mujibur Rahman sculpture being torn down by protesters in Dhaka.

The focus will now be on where the late statesman's deposed daughter finds refuge, as the likelihood of Hasina joining her UK government minister niece, Tulip Siddiq, in London now hangs in the balance.

"UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy has called for a UN-led investigation into the violence of the past few days. If this is held, it will likely hold Sheikh Hasina accountable to some degree and would look bad for the British government if she were then in the UK with the grant of ‘political asylum’,” reflected Rahul Roy-Chaudhury, Senior Fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) in London. PTI AK ZH ZH