Two disturbing incidents came to light this week, even as they went under the radar somewhat, amid the general chaos and violence that has severely hampered law and order even under an elected government. Yet they stand out for their potential to portend the future of the nation.

Taken together, they suggest a struggle over who gets to define the boundaries of acceptable thought, acceptable behaviour and individual freedom in Bangladesh.

The University Press Limited outlet in Banglabazar was forcibly shuttered after two men showed up and objected to the sale of Oshomapto Attojiboni, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's autobiography, claiming that it was banned - which was patently false of course. Police subsequently confirmed that although two sales employees were subjected to harassment and taken to the Faridabad police outpost and detained for some time, no formal complaint was filed. UPL said it had been subjected to pressure in the past as well but never withdrawn a book under pressure, and vowed to maintain its publishing standards.

The particularly disturbing feature of this incident is the apparent privatisation of censorship. If a book is genuinely unlawful, the state has procedures for notifying publishers, and UPL have said they would be willing to comply with any formal ban. But if it is not unlawful, private citizens cannot legitimately acquire the power to determine what a publisher may sell.

The second incident relates to three women who were shockingly stopped by immigration officials from travelling to Nepal on their own, which raises a different but related question.

According to reports, they were adults with valid passports, visas and tickets. They were reportedly questioned about their marital status, whether their families knew about the trip and why they were travelling without guardians. The High Court has now asked the authorities to explain why stopping them should not be declared unlawful.

There is a fascinating contradiction in contemporary Bangladesh. The country has undergone enormous social transformation. Women constitute a major part of the workforce. Millions of Bangladeshis travel internationally. Young people consume information from around the world. Private universities, publishing houses, technology and social media have dramatically expanded access to ideas.

Yet economic and technological modernisation does not automatically translate to liberal social attitudes.

In the wake of the political earthquake of July-August 2024, we have often heard of a resurgent far-right in the country's politics, if only because the Awami League regime when it fell, took almost the entire left, which it had progressively subsumed over the course of its rule, down with it. But I do still believe we should exercise caution before saying Bangladesh is simply "becoming more conservative."

The fact that the three women went to court rather than accepting the decision is itself evidence of an increasingly rights-conscious citizenry. The High Court's intervention is another important institutional counterweight. Likewise, publishers, writers and civil-society figures have roundly protested the UPL incident and demanded investigation and legal action.

Ultimately, the country is experiencing a contest between an increasingly assertive culture of rights and modern, liberal values on one side and powerful traditions of social conformity and entrenched conservatism on the other. And which of these forces win out in the end is far from a foregone conclusion.