Nearly 100 Dead in Bangladesh Protests Amid Nationwide Curfew and Internet Shutdown
Fresh violence in Bangladesh has resulted in nearly 100 deaths and hundreds of injuries as a nationwide curfew and internet blackout are enforced. On Sunday, clashes between student protesters demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and security forces, along with ruling party activists, led to severe unrest.
According to Prothom Alo, a leading Bengali-language newspaper, at least 95 fatalities were reported during the protests. The Interior Ministry has implemented an indefinite nationwide curfew starting at 6 PM local time (12 PM GMT) to address the escalating violence.
In addition to the curfew, internet services have been suspended, and major social media platforms such as Facebook and WhatsApp are currently inaccessible.
This outbreak of violence follows last month’s protests, where over 200 people were killed and thousands injured in response to a quota system favoring government job allocations to relatives of veterans. The Supreme Court has since reduced the quota system, but student protests have persisted, demanding Prime Minister Hasina’s resignation and justice for the recent casualties.
Human rights organizations and demonstrators accuse the government of excessive force, which the Prime Minister and her administration have denied. The violence on Sunday included attacks on a major public hospital in Dhaka, the torching of vehicles, and clashes with police, who used tear gas and fired shots to disperse the crowd. Crude bombs were also detonated during the unrest.
Student protesters have initiated a non-cooperation campaign, urging citizens to abstain from paying taxes, utility bills, and attending work. Despite an offer from Hasina to discuss the issues with student leaders, the coordinator of the protests rejected the offer, demanding only her resignation.
Prime Minister Hasina has vowed to investigate the violence and hold accountable those responsible. In a recent statement, she labeled the protesters as “terrorists” aiming to destabilize the nation and urged citizens to help suppress them.
Hasina, who has governed Bangladesh for 15 years, secured a fourth consecutive term in January’s elections, which were boycotted by major opposition parties.