The head of government is fleeing the country by helicopter with the help of the military; this repetition of events seems familiar, right? This reminds us of resistance, and it is an example of a fascist regime’s failure against a mass movement. Particularly, in Bangladesh and Nepal, public protests demonstrate how the collective action of the people puts pressure on political leadership. Is the resignation of Nepal’s Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli intertwined with that of Hasina?
The recent resignations of prime ministers in South Asia are not merely a result of personal failure; they also reflect broader societal issues. It is, in fact, a result of the collective resistance of the people. From Dhaka to Kathmandu, the streets have become the main stage for politics, where crises such as unemployment, corruption, and democratic deficits are forcing the ruling class to be challenged. Now the question emerges as to why people take risks.
Political theorist Mancur Olson’s logic of collective action answers this question. Generally, people tend to back out of protesting, thinking that others will take the risks, and everyone will enjoy the benefits. This is known as the free-rider problem in social movement and protest studies. But when survival is at stake, in situations of unemployment, inflation, or oppression, remaining silent becomes riskier. In Bangladesh, the frustration of educated unemployed youth has forced them onto the streets. The students and the general mass refused to leave the streets even in the face of the violent state apparatus. In a video where a police officer explains the situation to the ousted Home Minister of Bangladesh, saying, ‘we kill one, one dies, one leaves, but the rest remain.’
And in Nepal, they were furious about the Nepo-kids. Social media campaigns highlighted the luxurious lifestyles of politicians’ children, which stoked public anger over widespread nepotism and the perception of corruption. Therefore, the young minds knew that protest is the only strategy for survival in an unstable regime, so they resisted, which has cost at least 19 lives till now.
While the previous generation built movements through leaflets and union calls, today’s protests are driven by smartphone-wielding youth. Generation Z has transformed hashtags, memes, and Facebook/Instagram live into the megaphone of a new era. As seen in the student movement in Bangladesh in 2024, the anger that spread from the campus to the streets quickly ignited across the country through the posters of Debashish Chakrabarti, Morshed Mishu, or via Facebook posts from the central coordinators of the Anti-discrimination Student wing leaders.
The same scene is evident in Nepal- TikTok, Facebook, and other social media reels/videos and digital campaigns have added a new dimension to the protests, becoming part of the identity of the youth while also increasing pressure on the ruling party. When Generation Z faced a ban on social media, they protested for their right. The government’s decision is thought to be a major catalyst for the protest in both countries. Although in both countries the ban was lifted, that authoritarian move led to a violent protest.
Mohammad Al Imran, a postgraduate student of sociology at the University of Dhaka.
