Bangladesh’s violent protests are a clear indicator of the perils of a de facto one-party system. When the citizens of a country have no real alternatives to its leaders, no way of exercising choice, and an entrenched leadership arrogant in its grip on power, violence is the only way dissatisfaction can be expressed. Given the scale of the deaths in the country – climbing over 100 based on unofficial estimates – the dissatisfaction is reaching astronomical levels.

However, the student protestors share little blame in the escalation of violence; after all, they are not the ones with guns shooting indiscriminately into crowds – those orders have been given by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government. With curfews, internet and communication blackouts, and military deployment already instituted, Hasina has opted to “crush” dissidents the old-fashioned way rather than listening to their demands. Their demands do make sense. Sheikh Hasina’s party continues to maintain a disturbing fascination with Pakistan and the conflict that gave birth to the country. The flashpoint of these protests was the new policy where 30 percent of government positions would be reserved for families of those who fought against Pakistan – an arbitrary, ideologically driven quota when large parts of the country are experiencing high unemployment. She did not help matters by framing protestors as “razakars” – a term used to describe “collaborators” with the West Pakistan government in 1971 – maintaining her ideological obsession with a 50-year-old conflict.

Where these protests lead the country is unknown at the moment. Sheikh Hasina’s fourth term has seen further entrenchment of her party, erosion of constitutional checks, and attacks against her opponents. The protests may have started with the quota policy, but now represent a total rejection of her policies. She may soon realize that entrenched power groups can crumble in the face of a popular student-led movement, despite all the state power at her disposal.