Bangladesh witnessed another deadly nationwide conflict on Sunday, August 4th, resulting in at least 91 deaths, including 13 police officers, and dozens of injuries. Police forces fired tear gas and threw stun grenades to disperse tens of thousands of protesters demanding the resignation of the country’s Prime Minister.
Reports from police and doctors on Sunday detailed the deaths in the capital Dhaka, northern areas like Bogura, Pabna, and Rangpur, as well as western regions like Magura, eastern areas like Comilla, and southern regions like Barisal and Feni.
Earlier on Sunday, demonstrators blockaded major highways, and student protesters launched a non-cooperation movement urging the Prime Minister to step down, leading to a spread of violence nationwide.
Protesters called for “non-cooperation,” urging people not to pay taxes and utility bills, and not to work on Sundays (a workday in Bangladesh). Offices, banks, and factories were open, but commuters in Dhaka and other cities faced challenges getting to work.
Witnesses reported clashes between protesters and supporters of the ruling Awami League in the northeastern region of Pabna, resulting in at least 3 deaths and 50 injuries.
Hospital officials stated that violent incidents in the northern Bogura region led to two deaths, with 20 fatalities in nine other areas.
In Dhaka, a group of people vandalized a medical college hospital and set fire to vehicles, including an ambulance, prompting Health Minister Samantha Lalsingh to denounce the attack as unacceptable. She said, “Everyone should refrain from such actions.”
Critics of Hasina and human rights organizations have accused her government of using excessive force to quell the movement, but she and her ministers have denied these allegations.
Witnesses described a three-way conflict between protesters, police, and ruling party activists in the Munsiganj central district, resulting in the deaths of two construction workers on their way to work and 30 injuries.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina won her fourth term in office in January’s election, which was boycotted by the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party.
After a meeting of the National Security Council, Hasina stated, “The people protesting on the streets now are not students, but terrorists trying to disrupt national stability. I urge our countrymen to firmly suppress these terrorists.”
The Ministry of Home Affairs in Bangladesh announced an indefinite nationwide curfew starting from 6 pm local time on Sunday, along with the shutdown of internet services and the blocking of social media platforms like Facebook and WhatsApp, even through broadband connections. The government will also close government and private offices, including banks, for three days starting from Monday in an effort to restore order.
This marks the first time the government has taken such steps following the student-led protest activities last month.
Last month, protests led by student groups against the government’s quotas for civil service jobs sparked violence, resulting in at least 150 deaths, thousands of injuries, and around 10,000 arrests.
The protests paused after the Supreme Court revoked most of the quotas, but last week, students sporadically returned to the streets to demand justice for the victims’ families.