Bangladesh faces indefinite curfew, shuts down internet as fresh protests rage in Dhaka
DHAKA: Bangladesh's military took to the streets to impose an indefinite nationwide curfew on Sunday as protesters clashed with authorities amid a new wave of demonstrations demanding the prime minister's resignation, which comes 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 civil disobedience campaign to demand Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's resignation.
The new protests came after earlier demonstrations in July, which began with students calling for an end to a quota system for government jobs, escalated into violence.
These nationwide campus rallies were attacked by pro-government groups, leading to clashes with security forces, a week-long communications blackout, a curfew and more than 200 deaths.
After protesters returned to the streets in what appeared to be the largest number yet, 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 scores injured in the latest round of clashes, according to the country's leading Bengali-language newspaper Prothom Alo, as police fired 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 all over the country to travel to Dhaka” on Monday.
“It is time to make the last signature of this student citizen uprising. Come to Dhaka to be a part of history,” Asif Mahmud, a coordinator of the group, said in a statement issued after the curfew was announced.
“Students will create a new Bangladesh.”
While the Supreme Court eventually scrapped most of the quota to open public jobs to candidates based on merit, the government's response to the demonstrations last month and the arrest of thousands of people has turned the student-led protests into a public movement, with more groups joining during the recent days, 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, a 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 true conclusion is the immediate exit 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.
“BNP resolutely supports the demands and pledges of the students and stands by them,” Mohammed Nawshad Zamir, BNP's international secretary, told Arab News.
“Therefore, we must continue our street demonstrations until Sheikh Hasina's illegitimate regime is ousted and a consensus national government is established.”
Hasina's party, the ruling Awami League, said the student-led movement has been “politicised”.
Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury, Awami League parliamentarian, told Arab News: “It is a conspiracy to destroy the country. With the current situation, it has been proved now.
“Our law enforcement officers are still showing maximum tolerance towards the protesters. But they have to understand, that doesn't mean we are weak.”
Still, efforts to suppress the civil movement in Bangladesh, which included “random and disproportionate use of force by the law enforcement agencies,” were on a scale “never seen before,” said Dr. Iftekharuzzaman, Executive Director at Transparency International Bangladesh.
“It is 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 violence to deal with the crisis continues,” he told Arab News.
“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 is invincible here in the history of Bangladesh.”
