Bangladeshi sociologist Marjana Mahanaz said that Bangladeshi citizens have become more aware after the protests. Speaking at the first session of the Kantipur Conclave 2026, 'From Protest to Opportunity', she expressed concern over the increasing spread of rumours.

She said that the citizens of Bangladesh have also started seeking accountability and that awareness has increased among the citizens after the student protests in Bangladesh in 2024. ‘People have become more aware after the protests in July 2024. They are showing resistance and resilience, which was not seen before. They have started understanding that they can question authority and demand accountability,’ she said.

She said that the situation in Bangladesh has been calm as the elections approach. But she said that many people are calm but scared, looking at the previous elections.

She said that since the protests, extremist tendencies have been increasing in Bangladesh. ‘The increasing extremist tendencies in the past few years have worried me very much. Let me give you an example- a few days ago, a Hindu man was killed on charges of insulting religion. Later it was found that he had not said anything insulting Islam. It was an incident of mob violence based on rumors. We have seen that mobs have even burned down media houses. The law enforcement agencies have not been able to stop it,” she said.