300 killed in Bangladesh protests as demonstrators defy curfew

Protest leaders in Bangladesh called for fresh demonstrations on Monday, defying a curfew to demand the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, as the death toll from unrest rose to 300.

About 100 people, including 13 police officers, were killed and hundreds more injured on Sunday in violent clashes that took place in different areas, the highest death toll in a single day since protests over public sector employment quotas began last July.

The total death toll from the protests has risen to 300, according to reports from police, officials and hospital doctors, AFP reported.

The authorities imposed a strict curfew on Sunday evening, closed main roads, including those leading to the government headquarters, and deployed large numbers of army and security forces in the capital, Dhaka, and other parts of the country.

The government also declared a three-day holiday starting Monday in an attempt to contain the demonstrations, while internet services, public transport by trains, and clothing factories were closed.

Bloody day in #Bangladesh..More than 90 dead and hundreds wounded in clashes across the country#Aljazeera live pic.twitter.com/0levDPkfvL
– Al Jazeera Mubasher (@ajmubasher) August 5, 2024

big march

Amid tight security, protest leaders called for a large march in Dhaka on Monday, while the military urged residents to abide by a curfew.

While Army Chief Waqar-uz-Zaman is expected to make a statement on Monday on the protests, former officers have declared their support for the protesters' demands and called on the prime minister to withdraw the army from the streets and take initiative to resolve the crisis.

Once aimed at public sector employment measures, the protests have now focused on overthrowing the 15-year-old government of Sheikh Hasina.

At first, the protests were limited to university students, but they expanded to include various groups.

During Sunday's demonstrations, protesters accused Hasina's government of carrying out killings and enforced disappearances of several activists, and chanted slogans such as “Down with tyranny.”

In the past few days, attacks have been recorded in which government buildings and headquarters of the ruling Awami League party were burned in several areas.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said yesterday she was ready to talk to the protesters, adding that those carrying out the violence were not students but “terrorists”.

It is noteworthy that Sheikh Hasina won a fourth term last January.