Fear and uncertainty behind a facade
TBS interviewed many people in the ‘hotspots’ across Dhaka to understand how much people and their lives as well as businesses recovered from the chaos, unrest and violence that marked the last two weeks
If you visit the Mirpur 10 intersection, you're going to find it very busy, with all types of vehicles – buses, CNG auto-rickshaws, motorbikes, pedal rickshaws and cars – plying the roads in all four directions.
The businesses are also mostly open, even those on the footpaths. It would almost seem normal, except for the burnt police box and the roofs of the foot overbridge.
But hardly anything is normal, and if you talk to the people – working or passers-by – it becomes evident, the shock and fear engulfing their lives. And the impact on the businesses remains palpable.
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After revisiting several 'hotspots' in Dhaka where violence erupted during the third week of July stemming from the quota reform protests, we realised that 'normal' was only a façade.
TBS interviewed many people in Uttara, Mirpur, Badda, Rampura, Abul Hotel area, Rayerbag and Mohammadpur to understand how much people and their lives and businesses recovered.
They told TBS that their businesses were bad, mainly due to the fear and uncertainty as well as the curfew. "I'm done. Tk30,000 worth of products have been looted from my shop. Even now that I'm opening the shop every day, there is hardly any customer," said MA Shaqur Bhuiyan, the proprietor of Prince Pharma below the Mirpur-10 Metro station.
His shop was vandalised and looted on the fateful Friday afternoon (19 July). The violence saw scores of people killed and hundreds injured.
Shaqur sells snacks and drinks along with pharmaceutical products. He says snacks and water bottles sell better, and Metro Rail passengers are his main customers.
"Since the Metro Rail is closed, there is no customer of snacks," he added. As we were talking, three customers came looking for some medicines, but those were not available in the shop.
Shaqur said he was not restocking due to fear of vandalism as well as due to his debt burden which is piling up."The situation for my business is not going to improve unless the station is opened," Shaqur told TBS.
Sadness and uncertainty clouded his face. A one-year time for repair, according to the official government statement, is likely to spell catastrophe for Shaqur.
Across the street is Shah Ali Plaza, a 14-storied market. The huge complex is undergoing a shortage of customers as well.
Khorshed Alam, a salesman for Family Kitchen said the market closes at 6 pm due to curfew, a time when the customers start to come usually. Although the market was set to remain open till 8 pm yesterday as the curfew hours were shortened, he said people would still not prefer to come out in great numbers due to the situation.
There are many boutiques from Mirpur-10 intersection to Mirpur-1, a one-kilometre-plus stretch. There, we talked to Sifat, the manager of Plus Point Fashion.
"Business is down by 80%," he said, adding, "Clothes are not essentials that people need to buy daily, so they are avoiding the boutiques for now. They are afraid to come out without an emergency."
Even the rickshaw pullers said they were suffering.
Ripon, a rickshaw puller waiting for passengers near 'Original 10' said he now can't save Tk200 after his meals and daily costs. He mentioned that motorised rickshaws are now plying on the main roads as police are busy doing other things, and non-motorised rickshaw-pullers are suffering for that.
The crowd in the intersection is also caused because rickshaws are thronging it unchecked, given the situation.
In what seems like a return to normalcy, footpath stores have also been set up in the area, but the shopkeepers said the businesses were not 'normal.' It was manifest in their faces – calm but blank, not the usual full-of-energy one, often even aggressive.
People talked to us without hesitation about their business. However, the fear returned when asked about the violence and the vandalism and mass arrests. This is when they withdrew, saying they did not know anything about it.
Rampura - Badda - Rayerbag
Moktar Hossain, a resident, hesitates to look at the overbridge in Rayerbag. He insists that everything is normal in his neighbourhood. He insists he was not present when violence erupted there.
Moktar saw nothing, and he knew nothing until we continued the conversation for several minutes. "This is the bridge where the body was hanging," Moktar said, sitting beside a fruit cart just beside the haunted overpass.
The tension creased the middle-aged man's face.
"My brothers don't stay at home. Young people cannot stay at home in fear of police," Moktar said, adding, "It looks normal, but we don't go out much. We don't allow our boys to go out because who knows what might happen."
The area in Rayerbag Dotala Mosque Circle was relatively quiet. The highway buses were passing through the area. Fruit sellers were passing idle time, the rickshaw pullers were waiting on passengers, and the tea stalls had no customers.
"None of my neighbours were injured, but some people were arrested," Moktar said. "But we are ordinary people. We were not involved in anything," he hastily added, perhaps fearing that he already said too much to a journalist.
Zakir has been selling Sherbat in Rayerbag for years. He said this area has been "desolate" ever since the violence. "I was not here. I only came back two days ago," he immediately added, out of his own volition.
Rickshaw puller Shamim, standing nearby, said his earning had drastically dropped.
"It looks like everything is normal. But actually, it is not. People fear to go out during the day and they fear to stay home at night," Shamim said.
However, this only remained true in the first few minutes. Whenever a conversation ran a little deep, the people we interviewed revealed their worries about the present and future trajectory of their lives.
Rabbi works in a motorcycle garage in the Abul Hotel area – a hotspot on 19 July. Protesters occupied the road; security forces came from the ground and helicopters above.
Several days after the clashes, Battalion Ansar still held their positions with sandbags in front of the KFC and Abul Hotel Circle.
"We had no work in the last seven days. We don't have customers because many are not yet coming out with bikes. Most Pathao bikers didn't work these days because of the internet blackout," Rabbi said.
Ride-hailing biker Akash was taking 'khep' in Rampura Road. He said young people like him are afraid of the police. "Police detain young people. Besides, the students are regrouping. I am always tense that something is happening," Akash said.
Peyar Ali sells Sherbat on Rampura Bridge. He witnessed the first fight on July 18 in the area when students advised him to escape the area. "I soon left work and came back two days ago.
But business is dull. Most people are not back to the streets yet," Peyar said.
Mohammadpur
Mohammadpur's bus stand and Tin Rastar Mor were the two hotspots where law enforcement agencies locked in clashes with students and local protesters. From 18-20 July, the alleys of Mohammadpur teemed with people, trying to protest intermittently.
Today, these places have returned to near-normal, except for the bullet marks on the walls, broken dividers and trees stripped for sticks.
The only viral video showing military men lying on the road and shooting bullets at protesters was from this place.
Now, the usual traffic jams, heated conversations between rickshaw drivers, snail-paced movement and pedestrians crossing roads amidst cars and over dividers – everything seems back to normal. But is it really?
Saidul Islam, the owner of Kacchi Khan, a biriyani restaurant at the intersection of Tin Rastar Mor, says, "Our shop reopened only on 26 July, after being closed for six days. At first, the area was a bit less crowded, but in the last 2-3 days, it has returned to its usual rhythm."
He continued, "On 18 July, we saw a swarm of police lining the streets, shooting tear gas, sound grenades, and even live bullets. We heard some people had bullet wounds. Even today, everyone is talking about the same things. It seems people cannot move on, nor can we.
I have lived in this area for 26 years, and I have never seen anything like this in my life."
Saidul is not sure if the clashes will start again, but he is certain that if another clash breaks out, his business will suffer greatly.
Similar concerns were voiced by Johirul Islam, owner of RFC Fastfood at the Mohammadpur bus stand.
"You see [pointing at the law enforcement agencies] police, BGB, and Ansar troops are still stationed at the intersection. They remind us that things are not normal yet because they were not here before the events," said Johirul.
"Schools and colleges are still closed, which affects our business. Somehow, if I saw young people wearing different school uniforms instead of troops with guns, I would feel more assured that things are normal," lamented Johirul.
"I see on Facebook that people are not taking the killings of students lightly. Many have changed their profile photos to red in protest. Look," he shows me, "I have also changed my profile picture. I think these clashes will return to the streets again."
The fear is constant.
Another shop owner, beside Alhaj Mockbul Hossain University College gate on the main road, shared his concerns: "My clothing shop has a glass facade. I was hoping no bullets would break the glass. It would not only mean the loss of the glass but also that people would steal all my products. I would be in greater debt," he said with a sigh.
"Even now, every day, I pray another clash doesn't break out. This time I was somehow spared, but I am not sure my shop will survive if another clash breaks out since it's right on the road and easily breakable."
When I went down the alley to the tea stall, people were discussing what could have been, what the government should have done, and what the future might hold. Although "life as usual" was in motion, people looked like they were constantly reliving those days and remained deeply concerned about the days to come.
Uttara
On 19 July, Uttara inarguably saw the largest movement of students in front of the BNS Center on the Dhaka-Mymensingh Highway. The following curfew vastly reshaped from what it used to be only a couple of weeks ago.
Even with the curfew gradually being phased out and things getting back to normal, the streets are yet to return to their former glory. It was only yesterday when some restaurants finally reopened after 10 days.
Although, unlike normal days, when you'd need to almost fight to get in the front to order your 'quarter grille' during the peak evening hours, on 31 July – when this correspondent visited the area – it was mostly deserted. The same can be said for the carts selling fuchkas and other fast food items.
In comparison to other areas of Dhaka, Uttara arguably has one of the largest numbers of schools and universities. This generally meant Uttara's streets brimmed with students 'hanging out' starting from afternoon till midnight.
Since 20 July, this changed. We barely noticed any students on the road. While there are kids playing cricket or football in front of their homes, you'd barely see high school or university students hanging out in groups like the 'normal' days.
With Metro stations' operations halted since 20 July, the number of passengers on buses and minivans (which use the Sonargaon Janapath road, connecting Dhaka Mymensingh Highway to Uttara North Metro Station) has drastically decreased as well.
Since the Covid-19 lockdown period in 2020, this is the most empty that Uttara's streets have been, even when compared to regular weekends.
