Bangladesh imposes curfew, cuts internet as fresh protests sweep Dhaka
DHAKA: Bangladeshi troops were deployed on the streets to impose an indefinite curfew across the country on Sunday as protesters clashed with authorities in a new wave of protests demanding the resignation of prime minister, who came a week after the deadly crackdown.
Thousands of Bangladeshi protesters took to the streets of Dhaka on Saturday and Sunday, as student leaders launched a civil disobedience campaign to demand the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
The new protests come after previous protests in July, which began with student demands for an end to the quota system for government jobs, escalated into violence.
The campus-wide rallies were attacked by pro-government groups, leading to clashes with security forces, a week-long blackout, curfews, and more than 200 deaths.
After protesters returned to the streets in their largest numbers, Bangladesh's interior minister said a nationwide curfew would begin at 6 p.m. Sunday, while the country was still closed. internet service again.
More than 50 people were killed and many injured in the fresh clashes, according to the country's leading Bengali-language newspaper Prothom Alo, as police fired tear gas and stun grenades. the police to disperse tens of thousands of protesters.
Students Against Apartheid, one of the main groups behind the first protest, called on “students from all over the country to march to Dhaka” on Monday.
“The time has come for the final signature of this student civil uprising. Come to Dhaka to be a part of history,” group coordinator Asif Mahmud said in a statement issued after the curfew was announced.
“Students will create a new Bangladesh.”
While the Supreme Court has finally lifted most of the time limits for opening civil service posts to merit-based candidates, the government's response to last month's protests and thousands of arrests turned student-led protests into public events, among others. groups have joined in recent days, including teachers and television stars.
“The current situation is said to be a very large rebellion. It has the support of the entire country, except for a few beneficiaries of the regime,” Salimullah Khan, a political analyst and professor at the Bangladesh University of Liberal Arts, told Arab News. .
“Repressive measures are solely responsible for these massacres and crimes against humanity. The main conclusion is the immediate exit of the government. Dithering will 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 an election boycotted by her opponents, including the Bangladesh Nationalist Party. .
“We firmly support the demands of the students and the pledge of the BNP and support them unwaveringly,” Mohammed Nawshad Zamir, BNP's international secretary, told Arab News.
“Therefore, we must continue our street protests until the illegitimate regime of Sheikh Hasina is removed and a national consensus government is formed.”
Hasina's party, the ruling Awami League, said the student movement was “politicized”.
Awami League parliamentarian Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury told Arab News: “This is a conspiracy to destroy the country. In the current situation, it has been proven today.
“Our law enforcers are still showing maximum tolerance to the protesters. But they have to understand that, it doesn't mean that we are weak.”
But efforts to suppress civil unrest in Bangladesh, which include “random and disproportionate use of force by law enforcement agencies,” are “unprecedented,” said Dr. Iftekharuzzaman, executive director of Transparency International Bangladesh.
“It's very sad. Unfortunately, there is no way out of this situation or light at the end of the tunnel because the use of force continues to manage the crisis,” he told Arab News.
“The authorities ignored the power of the student movement, and on the other hand, the authorities considered themselves invincible… They did not understand that the student movement in the history of Bangladesh.”
