Bangladesh imposes indefinite curfew, cuts internet as fresh protests engulf Dhaka
DHAKA: Bangladesh's army was sent to the streets on Sunday to enforce an indefinite curfew across the country as protesters clashed with authorities amid a new wave of protests calling for the prime minister's resignation, weeks after a deadly crackdown.
Thousands of Bangladeshi protesters took to the streets of Dhaka on Saturday and Sunday as student leaders launched a nationwide civil disobedience campaign calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
The protests came after previous demonstrations in July, which began with students calling for an end to the quota system for government jobs, turned violent.
These university-wide gatherings were attacked by pro-government groups, which led to clashes with security forces, a week-long communication blackout, curfews, and more than 200 deaths.
After protesters returned to the streets in what appeared to be the largest number ever, Bangladesh's interior ministry announced an indefinite nationwide curfew from 6pm on Sunday, while internet services were again shut down. Is.
According to the reliable Bengali-language newspaper Protum Alu, while the police fired tear gas and stun grenades to disperse tens of thousands of protesters, more than 50 people were killed and dozens injured in the new round of clashes.
Students Against Discrimination, one of the main groups behind the initial protests, called on “students from all over the country to travel to Dhaka” on Monday.
“The time has come for the final signature of this student citizen uprising. Come to Dhaka to be a part of history.
“Students will create a new Bangladesh.”
While the Supreme Court eventually struck down most merit-based civil service quotas, the government's response to last month's demonstrations and the arrest of thousands turned the student protests into a mass movement. Groups joining them in the last few days, including teachers and TV stars.
“The current situation is best described as a massive popular uprising. Salimullah Khan, a political analyst and professor at Bangladesh University of Liberal Arts, told Arab News that the country has the support of the entire nation, except for a few beneficiaries of the regime.
Repressive measures are solely responsible for these massacres and crimes against humanity. The real result is the immediate withdrawal of the regime. Missing will only cost more lives.
The protests have become a major challenge for Hasina, who was returned to power for a fourth consecutive term in January in elections boycotted by her main opponents, including the Bangladesh Nationalist Party.
Mohammad Naushad Zamir, International Secretary of BNP, told Arab News: “BNP firmly supports the demands and commitments of students and stands by them without hesitation.
Therefore, we must continue in our street demonstrations until the overthrow of the illegitimate regime of Sheikh Hasina and the establishment of a government of national consensus.
Hasina's ruling Awami party said the student-led movement had become “politicised”.
“This is a conspiracy to destroy the country,” Khaled Mahmoud Chowdhury, a representative of the Awami League, told Arab News. With the current conditions, it is now fixed.
Our law enforcement continues to show maximum tolerance to protesters. “But they have to understand, it doesn't mean we are weak.”
However, efforts to suppress the civil movement in Bangladesh, which included “random and disproportionate use of force by law enforcement agencies,” were on a scale “unprecedented,” said Dr. Iftikharul Zaman, executive director of Transparency International Bangladesh. ».
“This is quite ominous. Unfortunately, we see that there is no way out of this situation or light at the end of the tunnel as the use of force continues to manage the crisis.”
“The authorities ignored the power of the student movement and on the other hand, the authorities considered themselves invincible… They did not realize that the student movement here in the history of Bangladesh is invincible.”
