Who are you? Who am I? Razakar!: Explaining the war cry in Bangladesh protests and Razakar’s 1971 role

“Who are you? Who am I? Razakar, Razakar!” slogan echoed in Bangladesh as thousands of protestors took to the streets protesting against the allocation of government jobs, leading to the death of over 100 people.

The violence in Bangladesh has forced the government to impose a curfew and deploy the army on the streets to maintain law and order.

The death toll in violence has increased to 115.

Due to ongoing violence, over 800 Indian students have returned to country. 778 Indian students returned through various land ports till Friday. Whereas on Saturday, 186 more people, including 98 from Nepal and 88 from India, returned to India via Dawki integrated check post in Meghalaya's West Jaintia Hills district.

Who are the Razakars?

In Bangladesh, the term ‘Razakar’ is considered to be derogatory. The slogan being chanted by students started after Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said those who oppose job quotas for relatives of freedom fighters are the ‘Razakar’.

Razakar means 'volunteer' or 'helper' in Persian and Urdu, who are said to have collaborated with the Pakistani army during the 1971 War of Independence.

According to the anthropologist Nayanika Mookherjee, it is used as abuse, reported the Indian Express.

The article mentioned that the Razakars mostly consisted of Urdu-speaking Bihari Muslims and religious parties that opposed the separation of East and West Pakistan, like Jamaat-e-Islami, Al Badr and Al Shams.

In another article, Dr Muntasir Mamoon, Bangabandhu Chair at Bangladesh’s Chittagong University, said that the word is actually ‘Rezakar’ and it can be traced to Hyderabad (modern-day India).

Stating that in Bengali, the term ‘Rezakar’ became ‘Razakar’, Mamoon told Express, “They became informants for the Pakistan Army and had weapons to fight against the Mukti Joddha (pro-independence freedom fighters). Among the Anti-Liberation forces, there were many groups and the Razakars were one.”

In 2019, Bangladesh published a list of 10,789 Razakars who collaborated with the Pakistani forces, reported Pakistan's The Tribune.

The report said AKM Yusuf, one of the top leaders of the fundamentalist Jamaat-e-Islami, was believed to be the founder of the Razakar force. He was arrested in May 2013 and charged with crimes against humanity. However, he died of cardiac arrest in 2014 while in detention.

According to India Today report, during the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War, the Razakars, a locally recruited paramilitary force by General Tikka Khan, composed of mostly pro-Pakistani Bengalis and Biharis, they assisted the Pakistani military in raids, mass rapes and killings, and torture and arson.

Bangladesh Protests

The protests in Bangladesh started after the High Court reinstated 30% job quotas for the descendants of freedom fighters. They have continued despite Bangladesh's top court suspending that order for a month last week.

According to Reuters, experts also attribute the unrest to stagnant job growth in the private sector, making public sector jobs, with their accompanying regular wage hikes and privileges, very attractive.

The quotas shrink the number of government jobs open for all, hurting aspirants who want them filled on the basis of merit.

Government defends

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has defended the quota system, saying that veterans deserve the highest respect for their contributions to the war, regardless of their political affiliation.

Quoting Law Minister Anisul Huq, AP reported the government was open to discussing the student leaders' demands.

The main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has vowed to organise its own demonstrations, however, it said its supporters were not responsible for the violence and the party does not support any sabotage for political reasons.

Several police injured

Police spokesman Faruk Hossain told AFP that at least 150 police officers were admitted to hospital. He added that two officers had been beaten to death while another 150 were given first aid treatment. “The protesters torched many police booths... Many government offices were torched and vandalised.”