Bangladesh imposes indefinite curfew and shuts down internet as new protests rock Dhaka
DHAKA: The Bangladesh military was sent onto the streets on Sunday to enforce an indefinite nationwide curfew amid a new wave of demonstrations demanding the prime minister's resignation, weeks after a deadly crackdown.
Thousands of Bangladeshi protesters took to the streets in Dhaka on Saturday and Sunday as student leaders launched a nationwide civil disobedience campaign to demand the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
The renewed protests came after earlier demonstrations in July escalated into violence. They began with students demanding the abolition of quotas for government jobs.
These nationwide campus rallies were attacked by pro-government groups, resulting in clashes with security forces, a week-long communications blackout, a curfew, and over 200 deaths.
After the largest number of protesters so far appeared to have returned to the streets, the Bangladeshi Interior Ministry announced that a nationwide curfew would come into force on Sunday at 6 p.m. for an indefinite period. At the same time, internet services were shut down again.
According to the country's leading Bengali-language newspaper, Prothom Alo, more than 50 people were killed and scores injured in the new wave of clashes, while police used tear gas and lobbed stun grenades to disperse tens of thousands of protesters.
Students Against Discrimination, one of the main groups behind the initial protests, has called on “students from across the country to travel to Dhaka on Monday.”
“It is time to finally sign off on this student uprising. Come to Dhaka to become part of history,” Asif Mahmud, a coordinator of the group, said in a statement released after the curfew was announced.
“Students will create a new Bangladesh.”
Although the Supreme Court eventually largely abolished the quota system that awards public sector jobs to applicants based on merit, the government's response to demonstrations last month and the arrest of thousands of people has transformed the student-led protests into a public movement that has been joined in recent days by other groups, including teachers and television stars.
“The current situation is best described as a massive popular uprising. It enjoys the support of the entire nation, except for a few beneficiaries of the regime,” Salimullah Khan, political analyst and professor at the University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh, told Arab News.
“Repressive measures are solely responsible for these mass murders and crimes against humanity. The real conclusion is the immediate removal of the regime. Hesitation will only cost more lives.”
The protests have become a major challenge for Hasina, who came to power for a fourth consecutive term in January in an election boycotted by her main opponents, including the Bangladesh Nationalist Party.
“The BNP firmly supports the students’ demands and promises and stands steadfastly by them,” Mohammed Nawshad Zamir, BNP international secretary, told Arab News.
“That is why we must continue our street demonstrations until the illegitimate regime of Sheikh Hasina is overthrown and a national consensus government is formed.”
Hasina's party, the ruling Awami League, said the student-led movement had been “politicized.”
Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury, an Awami League parliamentarian, told Arab News: “It is a conspiracy to destroy the country. The current situation has proven this.”
“Our law enforcement officers are still showing maximum tolerance towards the protesters. But they must understand that this does not mean that we are weak.”
But efforts to suppress civil liberties in Bangladesh, including the “arbitrary and disproportionate use of force by law enforcement agencies,” have reached “unprecedented levels,” says Dr. Iftekharuzzaman, Executive Director of Transparency International Bangladesh.
“It is quite threatening. Unfortunately, we see no way out of this situation and no light at the end of the tunnel because the use of violence to deal with the crisis continues,” he told Arab News.
“On the one hand, the authorities ignored the power of the student movement, but on the other hand, they considered themselves invincible… They did not realize that the student movement is invincible in the history of Bangladesh.”
