Bangladesh Protest: The death toll from clashes between Bangladeshi protesters demanding Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s resignation and pro-government supporters has surged to at least 50, news agency AFP reported citing police and doctors. Reports indicate fatalities across the South Asian country, with “at least 14 policemen” among those killed and 300 other officers injured, stated police spokesman Kamrul Ahsan.
In response to the escalating violence, the interior ministry declared an indefinite nationwide curfew starting at 6 p.m. (1200 GMT) on Sunday. This is the first such measure taken during the ongoing protests that began last month.
The unrest represents the government’s most significant challenge since the deadly protests following Hasina’s fourth consecutive term win in the January elections, which were boycotted by the main opposition, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party.
Critics, including human rights groups, accuse Hasina’s government of employing excessive force to quash the movement, an allegation denied by the Bangladeshi Prime Minister and her ministers.
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Bangladesh Protests: Students Demand Govt’s Resignation, Hasina Calls Them ‘Terrorists Who Are Out To Destabilise The Nation’
On Sunday, demonstrators blocked major highways as student protesters initiated a non-cooperation programme demanding the government’s resignation, leading to widespread violence, news agency Reuters reported.
Hasina remarked, “Those who are protesting on the streets right now are not students, but terrorists who are out to destabilise the nation,” following a national security panel meeting. “I appeal to our countrymen to suppress these terrorists with a strong hand.”
The ruling Awami League accused protestors from opposition parties of vandalising and burning its party offices. It posted on X, “#Terrorists from #BNP #Jamaat have vandalised and torched the party office of #Bangladesh #AwamiLeague in many places. See how the party office was torced and vandalized by the attackers. These are not students all are armed terrorists of BNP.”
#Arson on Several Awami League party offices#Terrorists from #BNP #Jamaat have vandalised and torched the party office of #Bangladesh #AwamiLeague in many places.
See how the party office was torced and vandalized by the attackers. These are not students all are armed… pic.twitter.com/hWH6qUtlag
— Awami League (@albd1971) August 4, 2024
Police claimed they had not fired any bullets despite the detonation of improvised explosives turning the area into a battleground, Reuters reported.
Bangladeshi Health Minister Samanta Lal Sen condemned the attack on a medical college hospital in Dhaka, where a group vandalised the facility and set fire to vehicles, including an ambulance. “An attack on a hospital is unacceptable,” he said, as quoted by Reuters. “Everyone should refrain from this.”
The government has once again shut down high-speed internet services, affecting mobile operators, while social media platforms like Facebook and WhatsApp were unavailable even via broadband connections.
Last month, at least 150 people were killed, thousands injured, and about 10,000 arrested in violence sparked by demonstrations led by student groups protesting against quotas for government jobs. Protests paused after the Bangladeshi Supreme Court abolished most quotas, but students resumed sporadic protests last week, seeking justice for the families of those killed.
“It is no longer about job quotas,” said Sakhawat, a young female protester told AFP, as she made graffiti on a wall at a protest site in Dhaka, calling Hasina a “killer”. “What we want is that our next generation can live freely in the country.”
According to AFP, Bangladeshi army chief Waker-uz-Zaman told officers in Dhaka on Saturday the “Bangladesh Army is the symbol of trust of the people”. “It always stood by the people and will do so for the sake of people and in any need of the state,” he said, as quoted by an army statement that did not reveal explicitly whether the army backed the protests.
Sheikh Hasina has ruled Bangladesh since 2009 and won her fourth consecutive term in January after an election without genuine opposition.
Vikram Sharma is a globe-trotting journalist with a global perspective on international events. His articles offer readers a global perspective on international events, exploring complex geopolitical issues and providing insights into the world’s most pressing challenges.
