Agni Kanyas fire youth revolution in Bangladesh
Meet Srabanti Akhtar Barsha, a 20-year-old Islamia College student who, along with other young women like Lucky, Shaon and Pritilata, has emerged as a symbol of youth revolution that has taken the country by storm. The venue is Dhaka's Shahbag Square. Rechistened Projonmo Chottor, it has spontaneously evolved into ground zero for youths demanding capital punishment for Razakars accused of genocide, rape and crimes during the 1971 Liberation War. They are also calling for a ban on fundamentalist parties like Jamaat-e-Islami in Bangladeshi politics. Jamaat chief Delwar Hossain Sayedee is one of those convicted by the tribunal probing into the crimes four decades ago.
Initially sparked by blogs, it is the relentless sloganeering by the likes of Barsha and Lucky, christened 'Agni Kanya' or firebrand daughters by the country's media, that has kept the protest's tempo going for over a month now. The girls have been spending 18 hours a day — from 8am till 2 at night — at the square since February 5. But for these feisty women, all aged 20-22, the protests would have fizzled out like so many civil society movements have in the past. The Agni Kanyas have not only mobilized masses, they have ensured the media spotlight remains on Shahbag.
"Wrapping the Bangladeshi national flag as a bandana, the Agni Kanyas make for compelling images on TV. In them, viewers see a reflection of their own angst and aspirations. The future of Bangladesh — as a tolerant secular nation or an Islamist country — hinges on this movement," explained Munni Saha, a TV journalist based in Dhaka.
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