Violence continues in Bangladesh as nearly a hundred killed and hundreds more injured in renewed anti-government protests

Bangladesh suffers amid the renewed anti-government protests. On Sunday, almost a hundred people including, 14 police officers, were reportedly killed, and hundreds more were injured, as the protest against the government continues. The protestors are demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Meanwhile, the PM has accused them of “sabotage” and labelling the protestors as criminals. The government has cut off mobile internet to suppress the protest.

A new curfew was imposed on Sunday evening for an indefinite period. The military announced the commencement of the curfew nationwide, including in the capital city of Dhaka, and other divisional and district headquarters. In the previous curfew, the government left some scope for ease in the national capital and other regions.

The country’s media outlet has been uncertain about the death toll, as per Prothom Alo, Bangladesh’s leading Bengali-language daily newspaper, at least 95 people, including at least 14 police officers, lost their lives amid the violence. The report of Channel 24 news outlet suggested at least 85 deaths.

The demand for the end of the quota system last month has certainly shifted into an anti-government protest. In the initial phase of the protest last month, the demonstrators were demanding a complete sweep off of the quota system for government jobs. Those demonstrations certainly transformed into violent protests leading to a life loss of 200 people.

The renewed violence has certainly intensified the tension in Bangladesh. PM Hasina believes that those protesters who engaged in “sabotage” and destruction were no longer students but criminals. She acclaimed that the people should deal with them with iron hands.

The ruling Awami party has linked the demands of the protestors with the opposition. According to them, the demand for Hasina’s resignation signifies that the protest has been taken over by the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party and the now-banned Jamaat-e-Islami party.

Taking strict measures to ensure the smooth going of the curfew the government announced a holiday from Monday to Wednesday. Courts have been asked to remain closed indefinitely. Facebook and other messaging apps have been made inaccessible along with the cut down of mobile internet services. As per Junior Minister for Information and Broadcasting Mohammad Ali Arafat, the services were severed to help prevent violence.

The country has witnessed almost 11,000 arrests in recent weeks. With the continued tension in the country, the school and universities have been in an indefinite closure. At one point the authorities imposed a shoot-on-side curfew.

Amid the heightening hostility with the government, the protestors have announced a “non-cooperation” effort, hyping the people to withhold paying taxes or utility bills and to abstain from going to work on Sunday, which is a regular working day in Bangladesh.

Violence incidents in the anti-government protests

The country has experienced several incidents of severe violence during the protests. Demonstrators attacked Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University, a major public hospital in Dhaka’s Shahbagh area, and set several vehicles ablaze. Several video footage of the protestors showed them vandalizing a prison van in the chief metropolitan magistrate’s court in Dhaka. Other videos revealed police firing live bullets, rubber bullets, and tear gas at the crowds. The protesters set fire to vehicles and offices of the ruling party. TV footage also showed some protesters wielding sharp weapons and sticks.

In Dhaka’s Uttara neighbourhood, police used tear gas to disperse protesters who had blocked a major highway. The demonstrators attacked homes, vandalized a community welfare office, and clashed with ruling party activists, leading to detonations of crude bombs and gunfire.

At least 20 people were shot in the area. In the northwestern district of Sirajganj, 18 people were killed, including 13 police officers in an attack on a police station. Another officer was killed in Cumilla, and five died in clashes between Hasina’s supporters and protesters in the Feni district.

Jamuna TV reported violent clashes across over a dozen districts, including Chattogram, Bogura, Magura, Rangpur, Kishoreganj, and Sirajganj, where protesters supported by the main opposition party clashed with police and activists of the ruling Awami League party and its affiliates.

History of the protest

The protest initially began last month against the quota system in the country. The students had a genuine and simple demand to end the quota system that reserved 30% of government jobs for the families of freedom fighters who fought in Bangladesh’s war of independence against Pakistan in 1971.

The protest eventually escalated into violent turmoil, disrupting the country’s peace. In response to the worsening situation, the apex court ordered a reduction in the veterans’ quota to 5%, with 93% of jobs to be awarded based on merit. The remaining 2% will be reserved for ethnic minorities, transgender, and disabled individuals. While the government accepted this decision, protesters have continued to demand accountability for the violence, which they attribute to the government’s use of force.

Hasina’s administration has accused opposition parties and their student wings of inciting the violence, which included the torching and vandalizing of several state-owned establishments. Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, the secretary-general of the main opposition party, reiterated the call for the government’s resignation to end the chaos. Although Hasina proposed talks with student leaders on Saturday, a coordinator declined the offer and issued a single demand for her resignation.

Hasina is facing a major upset in her Political career with this protest. She has been the leader of the country for over 15 years. In January she was elected for the fourth term after her main opponents boycotted the election. It will be interesting to see how the Bangladeshi PM will handle the situation. in opponents.

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