Bangladesh imposes indefinite curfew, cuts internet as fresh protests sweep Dhaka
DHAKA: Bangladesh's military was brought to the streets to impose an indefinite curfew across the country on Sunday as protesters clashed with authorities amid a new wave of demonstrations demanding the resignation of the prime minister, 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 campaign of civil disobedience demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
The new protests came after previous demonstrations in July, which began with student calls to end the quota system for government jobs, turned violent.
Those nationwide campus rallies were attacked by pro-government groups, leading to clashes with security forces, a week-long blackout, a curfew, and more than 200 deaths.
After protesters returned to the streets in what appeared to be the largest numbers, Bangladesh's home ministry said an indefinite nationwide curfew would begin at 6pm on Sunday, while internet services were again shut down.
More than 50 people were killed and dozens injured in a new round of clashes, the country's leading Bengali-language newspaper Prothom Alo reported, as police fired tear gas and stun grenades to disperse tens of thousands of protesters.
Students Against Discrimination, one of the main groups behind the initial protests, called on “students from all over the country to go to Dhaka” on Monday.
“It's time to put a final signature on this student civil uprising. Come to Dhaka to be a part of history,” Asif Mahmood, the group's coordinator, said in a statement issued after the curfew was announced.
“Students will create a new Bangladesh.”
While the Supreme Court eventually overturned most of the merit-based public office quota, the government's response to last month's demonstrations and the arrest of thousands of people turned the student protests into a social movement, with more groups joining in the past few days, including teachers and TV stars.
“The current situation can best be described as a mass popular uprising. He enjoys the support of the entire nation, except for a few beneficiaries of the regime,” Salimullah Khan, a political analyst and professor at the Bangladesh Liberal Arts University, told Arab News.
“Repressive measures are solely responsible for these mass murders and crimes against humanity. The real conclusion is the immediate departure of the regime. Dithering will only cost more lives.”
The protests have become a major challenge for Hasina, who returned to power for a fourth consecutive term in January in an election boycotted by her main opponents, including the Bangladesh Nationalist Party.
“The BNP strongly supports the demands and promises of the students and strongly supports them,” Mohammed Naushad Zamir, the BNP's international secretary, told Arab News.
“Therefore, we must persist with our street demonstrations until the illegitimate regime of Sheikh Hasina is overthrown and a national consensus government is established.”
Hasina's party, the ruling Awami League, said the student movement was “politicized”.
Khalid Mahmood Chowdhury, an Awami League parliamentarian, told Arab News: “This is a conspiracy to destroy the country. In the current situation, it has been proven.
“Our law enforcement officers still show maximum tolerance towards protesters. But they should understand that this does not mean that we are weak.”
However, efforts to suppress the civil movement in Bangladesh, which included “indiscriminate and disproportionate use of force by law enforcement agencies,” were on an “unprecedented scale,” said Dr. Ifteharuzzaman, executive director of Transparency International Bangladesh.
“It's quite ominous. Unfortunately, we see that there is no way out of this situation or light at the end of the tunnel because the use of force to manage the crisis continues,” he told Arab News.
“The authorities ignored the power of the student movement, and on the other hand, the authorities thought they were invincible… They didn't realize that the student movement here in the history of Bangladesh is invincible.”
