At least 91 people, including 13 police officers, have died, and many more are injured in the latest violence in Bangladesh. Police used tear gas and stun grenades to break up large groups of protesters demanding Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina step down.
The deaths were confirmed by police and doctors in Dhaka, and in northern areas like Bogura, Pabna, and Rangpur, as well as in Magura in the west, Comilla in the east, and Barisal and Feni in the south. An attack on police happened in Sirajganj, northwest Bangladesh, but the attackers’ identities are unknown.
Protesters want Hasina to resign after violent protests in July, which started with students opposing a government job quota system and resulted in 200 deaths. Hasina called the protesters criminals, not students, and urged people to deal with them harshly. The government has cut off internet access and imposed a curfew with orders to shoot on sight.
Deaths have been reported in at least 11 districts, protesters supported by the main opposition party BNP, clashed with police and Awami League activists.
Protesters are determined not to leave until the government steps down. The crowd of protesters is growing, and there have been clashes between them and Awami League supporters.
The government has set an indefinite curfew starting at 6 pm local time, but protesters continue to gather in Dhaka. Protesters are urging people to avoid paying taxes and utility bills and to skip work on Sunday, which is a working day in Bangladesh. Despite the call, offices, banks, and factories opened, but travel was difficult for commuters.
A planned “March to Dhaka” protest has been moved from Tuesday to Monday. The Anti-Discrimination Student Movement (ASD) coordinator, Asif Mahmud, said they are asking students and the public to head to Dhaka to lay siege to the city.
The government has declared a holiday from Monday to Wednesday, closed courts indefinitely, and shut down schools and universities across the country. Mobile internet services were off on Sunday, and apps like Facebook and WhatsApp were inaccessible, even on broadband.
The protests were initiated by students who opposed a policy that allocated 30% of government jobs to the families of veterans from Bangladesh’s 1971 independence war. As violence grew, the Supreme Court reduced this quota to 5%, with 3% for veterans’ families. However, protests have continued, with demonstrators demanding accountability for what they see as the government’s excessive force.
Read More: Clashes in Bangladesh Over Job Quota System Leave Over 100 Students Injured
The government’s response, including internet shutdowns, is the biggest challenge it has faced since January when deadly protests followed Hasina’s Awami League winning a fourth term in elections boycotted by the BNP.
However, when ruling party activists confront protesters, they use guns and violence to suppress the movement in front of the world.
