With the epicentre of the current trouble located in the Dhaka University, whose students and teachers are so deeply associated with the history of political change in Bangladesh, the Army leadership needs to step back and take a deep breath. Resisting the temptation to impose a martial law and sink the nation into a deeper quagmire, it must announce early elections. For the Army and the caretaker government have demonstrated they neither have the competence nor the moderation to make the January coup a success.