What is unfolding across the country’s higher education institutions raises serious questions about academic freedom, political retaliation and the right to dissent in a country still struggling with the consequences of a violent political upheaval…writes Dr Sakariya Kareem Bangladesh’s public universities, long regarded as centres of political debate and student activism, are once again confronting allegations of political persecution. This time, the targets are academics and students accused of maintaining links with former prime minister Sheikh Hasina and her Awami League, following the party’s dramatic fall from power in August 2024. What is unfolding across the country’s higher education institutions