There are certain natural laws in this world, and one of the most essential is that children should outlive their guardians. It is unnatural for a teacher to witness the death of their students, just as it is for parents to outlive their children. I was horrified when I saw news reports of students dying at my university. Teaching is not about fame or money; the greatest joy comes from your students’ accomplishments. You look forward to seeing them grow, achieve personal success and become responsible members of society. We, along with other teachers and parents, were robbed of that joy.

The government must accept responsibility for all deaths, those caused by security forces and third parties, as it has failed in its duty to protect its citizens. Responsible government officials must apologise to the nation and hand in their resignations. Of course, opposition parties and other anti-government forces would try to take advantage of the situation, and I am sure they had a role in instigating it. However, that does not take away from the fact that the government made the situation worse by not negotiating with the students and treating them as political adversaries from the very beginning.

Bangladesh Chhatra League is not an auxiliary police force and has no job attacking its fellow students. The leaders and activists of the Chhatra League who attacked students should be tried for assault, among other relevant charges. Those charged should also include senior politicians who egged them on. The government needs to disband units of the Bangladesh Chhatra League that attacked students. Using students against students has more than once made the situation worse in the last decade alone. The government, the state, and the party seem to have blended to the detriment of all. The government needs to redefine the established boundaries between the three. People who criticise the government are not necessarily the enemy of the state or party, and there is no reason to treat them as such.

Quota reforms were supported by general students and people from all walks of life, and not long ago, the Awami League would have supported such calls for reforms. However, the overreliance on bureaucrats and businessmen has taken the Awami League away from the people. It would be wise for the party to remember that these people are not their friends but loyal to the government, whoever may be in power.

The protestors have demanded the removal of four ministers, and it is a logical demand that will have the support of even Awami League activists. All four of them have failed in their roles. They have let the people, the students and their party down and do not deserve to hold on to office. They have demanded the resignation of vice-chancellors, which is also a reasonable demand given that they had failed to calm the situation down or protect their students. They were complete failures in their roles.

The government is responsible for providing financial support to the injured and the families of the dead. As is the country's established practice, it should give a job or scholarship to one member of a deceased individual’s family. It must also take responsibility for the cost of treatment and rehabilitation of the injured. The government should take care of the families of deceased police officers and provide benefits to injured officers.

The government should use the time to repair university damages and reopen them as soon as possible. Students’ politics must be removed entirely from all public and private universities. University authorities should distribute rooms in halls and strictly enforce this policy. Resident advisors (RAs) should be appointed for halls and responsible for creating a safe and supportive environment for residents. Universities must reestablish student unions through elections, provide them with funding to operate events and distribute them to student clubs. Many university faculties have studied abroad and seen the campus environment there. Unfortunately, they have been unable to replicate that here and establish a peaceful learning environment for their students.

The government’s chickens are coming home to roost. Blaming others will not absolve them of their culpability. Declare a general amnesty for students and release all of them. The situation resulted from the multiple failures of the Awami League, which have weakened the party and state. It has resulted in the People’s Party (Awami meaning people in Urdu) losing connection with the people. The appointment of incompetent ministers and widespread corruption has weakened the government and state institutions. For the party and government to survive, reflection and reform are needed. Things cannot continue like this forever; the government, the opposition, and most importantly, the people know it. I and the rest of the country do not ever wish to see the blood of citizens, some not old enough to vote, spilt so needlessly by their government with their own tax money.

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The writer is an assistant professor in the Faculty of Business Administration at the American International University-Bangladesh