A mass uprising in Bangladesh ended the 15-year authoritarian rule of Sheikh Hasina on this day last year. A great rebellion by the youths of the country made it possible.Labelled by some as ‘monsoon revolution’, and also as ‘second independence,’ the eventful 36 days in July and August of 2024 are probably the most significant historical twist in the 55 years of Bangladesh.Though it started as a students’ protest against the resumption of the discriminatory quota system in public service, it soon turned into a mass movement demanding the resignation of prime minister Sheikh Hasina. Her brutal steps to suppress the movement killed at least 1,400 people and injured more than 20,000 during the eventful days of the two months. Nevertheless, she was compelled to resign and flew to India to seek shelter on August 5, 2024. A new chapter was added to the history of Bangladesh, as well as South Asia.The 36 days in July were the outburst of years of repression and discrimination. During the 15 years of her rule, Hasina, along with her loyalists, had gradually turned the country into a place of fear, hatred and oppression. Many alleged that she was also fully backed by India in this regard. In many cases, dissident voices were brutally curbed, and any criticism of the regime was branded as an anti-liberation conspiracy. National elections became a fiasco, and the voting rights of people were undermined. Extreme politicisation of education, health and transport sectors took a heavy toll on the masses. National institutions were destroyed systematically. Corruption became the norm. Loyalty was rewarded over efficiency. The social fabric had also broken down. The show of worship of an individual – Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib – became the ultimate benchmark of patriotism. It will be, however, unfair to deny the economic progress under the Hasina regime. During the period, the size of the national economy, in terms of gross domestic product (GDP), increased to around Tk 34 trillion from Tk 11 trillion – a threefold jump in GDP in 15 years. The annual average GDP growth rate crossed the 6% level in this period. People witnessed significant development projects that opened opportunities for various commercial activities and created jobs in the country. The spree of constructing large-scale physical infrastructure improved communication facilities and increased the supply of power. The construction and inauguration of Padam Bridge reflected the country’s aspiration to become a developed nation in the near future. Bangladesh emerged as one of the fastest-growing economies in the world. An official photograph of Sheikh Hasina with Mujibur Rahman’s portrait behind her. Photo: Instagram/pmofbdDespite the robust economic growth, the misappropriation of funds in development works gradually eroded the sustainability and utility of infrastructure and services. The growth story also started to come under question as data manipulation by the government aimed to portray an inflated picture of development. During the 15 years of its rule, the tyrannical regime also patronised crony capitalists, fuelling the socio-economic disparity in the country. The Gini coefficient for income, a way of measuring inequality in a population, increased from 0.48 in 2016 to 0.50 in 2022, reflecting a rise in income inequality. The coefficient for assets also increased to 0.84 in 2022 from 0.82 in 2016, showing the rise in disparity. The financial sector became a haven for cronies as they embezzled billions of taka from the banks and financial institutions and illegally transferred the funds abroad, aiding the flight of capital from the country. The result is a weak and vulnerable banking sector. Now, the Mohammed Yunus-led interim government is struggling hard to fix the problems. The income disparity, coupled with persistent repression in almost every avenue, by the Hasina regime, made people disappointed and angry. During the 15 years, students and youths had occasionally come to the streets in protest against oppression and corruption in the country. They were, however, severely mistreated by law-enforcing agencies along with the activists of the Bangladesh Chattra League (BCL), the student wing of Bangladesh Awami League (BAL), Hasina’s party. The BCL, now banned, established a regime of terror in almost all educational institutions in the country and regularly intimidated ordinary students. The tyrannical regime’s submissive attitude to India became another source of anger among the people in Bangladesh. The situation aggravated when the Hasina regime started to provide room for extreme pro-Indian elements disguised as secularist forces in the country, by attacking Muslim identity and culture. Thus, anti-Indian sentiments grew in BangladeshOne year after the downfall of the Hasina regime, Bangladesh is still struggling to restore normalcy. This does not mean that the July uprising is a failure, as claimed by supporters of the ousted regime and its persistent patrons. A complex set of factors were behind the July uprising last year and any partial or scattered analysis of this historical twist will be misleading.Asjadul Kibria is an economic journalist based in Dhaka.