Soldiers were deployed across Bangladeshi cities on Saturday to calm escalating civil unrest triggered by student protests, as riot police used force against demonstrators who disobeyed a government-imposed curfew. The presence of the Bangladesh army has intensified amidst clashes with protesters.
The recent wave of violence has resulted in the reported deaths of at least 115 individuals, based on information gathered from police and hospitals by AFP. This situation presents a significant test for Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government, which has held power autocratically for the past 15 years.
At midnight, a government-imposed curfew was initiated, prompting the premier’s office to request military deployment as police struggled to contain widespread unrest.
“The army has been deployed nationwide to control the law and order situation,” armed forces spokesman Shahdat Hossain told AFP.
Curfew Set In Dhaka
According to private broadcaster Channel 24, the curfew is set to continue until at least 10:00 am on Sunday. In the early hours of the morning, the streets of Dhaka, the capital city, were nearly empty, with troops patrolling both on foot and in armored personnel carriers in the densely populated megacity of 20 million people.
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Later in the day, thousands of people returned to the streets in the residential neighborhood of Rampura, where police resorted to firing live rounds into the crowd, resulting in at least one person being wounded.
“Our backs are to the wall,” protester Nazrul Islam, 52, told AFP at the scene. “There’s anarchy going on in the country… They are shooting at people like birds.” Hospitals have informed AFP of an increasing number of fatalities from gunshot wounds since Thursday. “Hundreds of thousands of people” had battled police across the capital on Friday, police spokesman Faruk Hossain told AFP.
“At least 150 police officers were admitted to hospital. Another 150 were given first aid treatment,” he said, adding that two officers had been beaten to death.
“The protesters torched many police booths… Many government offices were torched and vandalised.”
A spokesperson for Students Against Discrimination, the primary organization behind the protests, informed AFP that two of its leaders were detained since Friday. According to party spokesperson Sairul Islam Khan, a second senior official from the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party was arrested in the early hours of Saturday. Initially scheduled to depart on Sunday for a diplomatic tour, Hasina canceled her plans due to a week of intensifying violence.
“She has cancelled her Spain and Brazil tours due to the prevailing situation, her press secretary Nayeemul Islam Khan told AFP.
Protests Against The Quota System
Throughout this month, nearly daily marches have been demanding an end to a quota system that allocates over half of civil service positions to certain groups, such as children of veterans from the nation’s 1971 liberation war against Pakistan.
Critics argue that the program primarily favors children affiliated with pro-government factions supporting the 76-year-old Prime Minister Hasina, who has been in power since 2009 and secured her fourth consecutive election victory in January, amidst a vote lacking genuine opposition.
Rights groups accuse Hasina’s administration of using state institutions to solidify its authority and suppress dissent, including through extrajudicial killings of opposition members. Following the initial fatalities on Tuesday, demonstrators are now calling for Hasina to step down from her position.
“It’s not about the rights of the students anymore,” business owner Hasibul Sheikh, 24, told AFP at the scene of the Rampura protest.
“We are here as the general public now,” he added. “Our demand is one point now, and that’s the resignation of the government.”
Pierre Prakash from the Crisis Group informed AFP that the absence of competitive elections during Hasina’s tenure has contributed to increasing public frustration.
“With no real alternative at the ballot box, discontented Bangladeshis have few options besides street protests to make their voices heard,” he said.
Death Toll Rising
Hospitals and police informed AFP on Saturday of an additional 10 deaths resulting from clashes the previous day, bringing the total to 105 deaths since Tuesday.
“The rising death toll is a shocking indictment of the absolute intolerance shown by the Bangladeshi authorities to protest and dissent,” Babu Ram Pant of Amnesty International said in a statement.
On Thursday, authorities enforced a nationwide internet shutdown that continues to disrupt communication across Bangladesh. Government websites remain inaccessible, and major newspapers like the Dhaka Tribune and Daily Star have been unable to update their social media platforms since the shutdown began.
Bangladesh Television, the state broadcaster, also remains offline following an incident where protesters set fire to its Dhaka headquarters on the same day.
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