UK Independent Report: Chattogram Teacher Struggles with Meal Reduction Amid Economic Hardships

A primary school teacher from Chattogram, Sehnaz Khan, told The Independent, UK, that escalating living costs have forced her family to reduce their daily meals from three to barely two. The economic struggles faced by Sehnaz and others highlight a broader dissatisfaction with the current Yunus administration, which has been criticized for not alleviating economic pressures and for failing to address election timelines or minority protection, resulting in ongoing violence and migration.
Sehnaz Khan, a teacher in Chattogram, expressed to UK journalist Alisha Rahaman Sarkar that she used to provide three meals a day for her family. However, the surge in the price of essentials like rice has left her struggling to manage even two meals daily.
“I could once feed my family three times a day. Now, with the cost of basic goods, we barely manage two,” Sehnaz shared in the report titled “Has Bangladesh’s revolution been a success?” published by The Independent on December 30, 2024. Sarkar, known for her work on human rights, gender, politics, and minorities in Asia, interviewed various Bangladeshis for this piece.
Sehnaz, the sole provider for her family of four, had once been hopeful about improvements under new leadership. But with increasing food prices and power outages, she now yearns for better times or at least the stability of the past.
This sentiment is echoed across Bangladesh. Raju Poddar, a clothing retailer in Dhaka, criticizes the government’s focus on historical grievances over present-day stability. “The focus should be on peace now, not just correcting past injustices,” he told The Independent.
Rafiqul Islam, a student at Dhaka University, who was part of the protests that led to the ousting of Sheikh Hasina, shared his disillusionment with the Yunus government’s management of the economy and its relations with India. “We hoped for change, but the situation is deteriorating,” he said, emphasizing the need for a democratically elected government to restore order.
Critics argue that the Yunus administration lacks a legitimate basis for its rule, relying on military support and public goodwill, which might lead to instability. Furthermore, the government has been criticized for not setting an election date and for failing to protect minorities, with reports of 88 violent incidents against minorities in the five months following Hasina’s departure. This has resulted in many seeking refuge in India.
Dr. Ian Hall, from Griffith University in Brisbane, commented to The Independent, “The transitional government missed opportunities to ensure security for Hindus after Hasina’s removal. The violence was foreseeable.”