At the end of October, I went to visit a place and planned to return after a few days. I heard there was a commotion. A political party had announced its candidates for the upcoming national parliamentary election. Those who received nominations were ecstatic, while many were unhappy at not seeing their names on the list. When I returned to Dhaka, I heard that roads were being blocked. A leader who did not get a nomination, along with their supporters, had blocked a major highway at midnight. In our political vocabulary, this is called a “blockade.”

For a long time, we have observed that political parties often fail to achieve their demands even when they use strikes, siege, or hartals. The latest tool in their arsenal is the blockade. Occasionally, the government imposes a curfew or emergency law to prevent riots or disturbances. During a curfew, people are forbidden from going outside; leaving home can lead to arrest or being shot—this is the directive. However, this is no longer very effective. Young people have become more daring and no longer fear curfews. Even the police and military nowadays practice a bit of human rights—they often refrain from firing guns, opting instead to arrest, beat, or take people to camps or police stations as needed.