At least 98 killed as Bangladesh protesters, Students call for march to force PM to quit

A man, who got injured during a clash between police, pro-government supporters and protesters, is taken in a safe place by fellow demonstrators, after anti-quota protesters were demanding the stepping down of the Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at the Bangla Motor area, in Dhaka(REUTERS)

At least 98 people, including 14 policemen, were killed on Sunday, and hundreds of others have been injured as renewed anti-government violent protests swept across Bangladesh during the last three days.

On Sunday, thousands of protesters gathered in several parts of the country to demonstrate against Sheikh Hasina’s government, calling for the prime minister to resign and some chanting “down with the autocrat”.

During the protests, clashes erupted between the police and students, with security forces deploying tear gas and stun grenades to disperse the violent crowd.

The students protested in a similar manner last month during which several people were killed and injured. The demonstrations had taken an even ugly turn as the students set fire to the country's state broadcaster, a day after Hasina appeared on the network seeking to calm the escalating clashes.

The demonstrators are demanding Hasina’s resignation after earlier protests in July that began with students calling for an end to a quota system for government jobs and escalated into violence that killed 200 people.

Hasina said those who were engaging in the “sabotage” and the destruction in the name of protests were no longer students, but criminals, and said the people should deal with them with iron hands.

Authorities have blocked internet access and imposed a shoot-on-sight curfew. At least 11,000 people have been arrested in recent weeks.

‘Volatile and dangerous’

Deaths were reported from at least 11 districts including Bogura, Magura, Rangpur and Sirajganj districts, where the protesters backed by the main opposition party Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) clashed with police and the activists of the ruling Awami League party and its associated bodies.

Prapti Taposhi, a student activist who witnessed clashes with police, told Al Jazeera the police were engaged in running battles with the demonstrators.

“I am on the street right now, and I can see so many people here. This is not just a student protest or a ‘quota protest’,” she said.

The government has now imposed an indefinite curfew that began at 6pm local time (1200 GMT), although protesters have continued to gather at the Shaheed Minar monument in central Dhaka.

Men run past a burning vehicle inside Dhaka’s Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University Hospital, set on fire by protesters [Rajib Dhar/AP]

Protesters called for “noncooperation”, urging people not to pay taxes and utility bills and not show up for work on Sunday, a working day in Bangladesh. Offices, banks and factories opened, but commuters in Dhaka and other cities faced challenges getting to work.

A ‘March to Dhaka’ protest has also been moved from Tuesday to Monday, a coordinator for the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement (ASD) told Al Jazeera.

“This means we are urging students and the public nationwide to start their journey to Dhaka tomorrow to lay siege to the city,” the coordinator, Asif Mahmud, said.

The government, meanwhile, announced a holiday from Monday to Wednesday. Courts will remain closed for an indefinite period. Authorities also closed schools and universities across the country.

Mobile internet service was off on Sunday, while Facebook and messaging apps including WhatsApp were inaccessible even on broadband internet. Junior Minister for Information and Broadcasting Mohammad Ali Arafat said mobile internet and messaging services were off to help prevent violence.

Arafat added to Al Jazeera that the government was acting “in a defensive position, not an offensive one”

"These miscreants attacked our activists and leaders and unleashed violence,” Arafat said, adding that the government has “always opted for a peaceful solution” and “never wanted violence”.

The deadly protests began last month as students demanded an end to a quota system that reserved 30 percent of government jobs for the families of veterans who fought in Bangladesh’s war of independence against Pakistan in 1971.

As violence intensified, the country’s Supreme Court scaled back the quota system to 5 percent of jobs, with 3 percent for relatives of veterans.

But protests have continued demanding accountability for violence the demonstrators blame on the government’s use of excessive force.

The unrest, which spurred the government to shut down internet services, is its biggest test since January when deadly protests erupted after Hasina’s Awami League won a fourth straight term in elections boycotted by the BNP.

The protests have now grown into a wider antigovernment movement across the South Asian nation of some 170 million people. At least 11,000 people have been arrested in recent weeks.

Critics of Hasina, along with several rights groups, have accused her government of using excessive force to stamp out the movement, a charge it denies.

“We want the government to resign,” Jahirul Islam, a restaurant worker in Dhaka, told Al Jazeera.

Dhaka-based political analyst Zahed Ur Rahman said that the government would be unlikely to resign “without bloodshed”.

“For the past two days, peaceful gatherings and demonstrations have taken place across the country demanding the government’s resignation,” Rahman said, explaining that the protests were peaceful because of the absence of Awami League activists on the streets.

However, once ruling party’s activists went to confront the protesters “they use gun[s] and violence to quell a popular uprising in front of the whole world”, Rahman said.

Latest updates on Bangladesh protests:

1. Thousands of protesters demanding Sheikh Hasina's resignation clashed with government supporters on Sunday, with scores killed in one of the deadliest days since demonstrations began. According to local media, the death toll in the violent protests may have surpassed 90. The Bangladeshi police and doctors reported deaths in districts in the north, west, south and centre of the country.



2. According to the police, 14 policemen have been killed across the country during the protests. Of them, 13 were killed in Sirajganj's Enayetpur police station, and one was killed in Comilla's Elliotganj, reported PTI. Meanwhile, more than 300 policemen have been injured.



3. The demonstrators also stormed a station in the northeastern town of Enayetpur. There were some sounds of sustained crackles of gunfire on Sunday as well, with protesters defying a nationwide curfew, reported AFP.



4. Some videos on social media also showed the demonstrators, surrounded by a tightly packed and cheering crowd, waving a Bangladeshi flag on top of an armoured car as soldiers watched.



5. According to local officials, Sunday's protests were joined by unidentified people and activists of rightwing Islami Shashontantra Andolon, which erected barricades on several major highways and within the capital city. They also attacked police stations and boxes, ruling party offices and residences of their leaders and burnt several vehicles, reported PTI.



6. In view of the escalating situation, the Bangladesh government ordered the shutdown of mobile internet services in several parts of the country. The government also announced a three-day general holiday on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday to ensure public safety.



7. PM Hasina said that those engaging in "sabotage" across the country in the name of protest are “not students but terrorists” and asked people to suppress them with a firm hand.



8. On Sunday, Hasina also called for a meeting of the National Committee on Security Affairs - the highest policy-making authority of national security, reported PTI. The meeting was reportedly attended by the chiefs of the Army, Navy, Air Force, police, RAB, BGB, and other top security officers.



9. Meanwhile, amid the violence, India advised its nationals to refrain from travelling to Bangladesh until further notice. “In view of ongoing developments, Indian nationals are strongly advised against travelling to Bangladesh till further notice…All Indian nationals presently in Bangladesh are advised to exercise extreme caution, restrict their movements and remain in contact with the High Commission of India in Dhaka through their emergency phone numbers 8801958383679, 8801958383680, 8801937400591,” the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said in a statement.



10. The United Nations human rights chief Volker Turk condemned the violence and said that the "shocking violence" in Bangladesh must end. “With a mass march on Dhaka planned for tomorrow, and the youth wing of the ruling party called up against the protesters, I am deeply worried that there will be further loss of life and wider destruction. I appeal urgently to the political leadership and to the security forces to abide by their obligations to protect the right to life, and the freedom of peaceful assembly and expression,” Turk said.