Bangladesh Protests over reforms to government recruitment rules have intensified, with protesters setting fire to government buildings in several parts of the country as the death toll reached 39 on Friday.
Following the escalation of violent protests, Pakistan’s High Commission in Bangladesh in a statement on Thursday asked Pakistanis not only to exercise caution in their movements but advised them to stay away from areas where protests are taking place.
According to the French news agency AFP, the total number of deaths has reached 39. Private broadcaster Independent Television, on the other hand, reported that at least 104 police officers and 30 journalists were injured in violent clashes across the country over the course of a day in Bangladesh.
The network said 702 people were injured during clashes between police and student protesters on Thursday, and clashes took place in 26 of the country’s 64 districts.
According to AFP, internet service was also severely curtailed in the country, which one monitor described as ‘almost blackout’.
A statement from the Dhaka police said that protesters set fire to several government buildings across the country.
“Miscreants have already torched the offices of state broadcaster BTV and the National Disaster Management Agency and ‘various’ police and government buildings,” said the statement, which came following the nationwide internet blackout on Thursday night. , vandalism and destructive activities.’.
Protesting students set fire to the country’s state broadcaster on Thursday.
Hundreds of protesters have clashed with the police demanding reforms to government recruitment laws. Police officers fired rubber bullets at the protesters.
In the capital Dhaka on Thursday, angry mobs chased retreating policemen to BTV’s headquarters and then set fire to the network’s reception building and dozens of vehicles parked outside.
The broadcaster said in a Facebook post that “many people” were trapped inside as the fire spread. However, a station official later told AFP that they had safely evacuated the trapped people from the building.
“The fire is still burning and our broadcast has been stopped for now,” he said.
Prime Minister Hasina Wajid’s government has ordered the indefinite closure of educational institutions and police have stepped up efforts to control the deteriorating law and order situation in the country.
The prime minister came on TV on Wednesday night to condemn the deaths of the protesters and vowed that those responsible would be punished regardless of their political affiliation.
But despite their appeals for peace, violence has escalated on the streets as police have once once more tried to contain the protesters with rubber bullets and tear gas.
“Our first demand is that the prime minister apologize to us,” 18-year-old Bedisha Ram Jhum, who was among the protesters, told AFP. Secondly, justice should be ensured for our slain brothers.’
At least 25 people were killed on Thursday, compared to seven earlier this week, according to hospital figures compiled by the AFP news agency.
Figures from the hospital show that at least two-thirds of these deaths were caused by police weapons.
An official at Uttar Crescent Hospital in the capital, Dhaka, told AFP on condition of anonymity that seven people had died at his hospital, two of whom were hit by rubber bullets and five by bullets. take
He further informed that around 1000 people who were injured during the clashes with the police have been treated in the hospital.
Dedar Milken of online news agency Dhaka Times told AFP that one of its reporters, Mehdi Hasan, was killed while covering the clashes in Dhaka.
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According to Reuters, police used tear gas to disperse stone-throwing students in the southern port city of Chittagong, while mobile services were suspended in most parts of the country.
Junior Information Technology Minister Zaneed Ahmed Palak told reporters that ‘mobile internet has been temporarily suspended due to various rumors and volatile situation on social media.’
He further said that the services will be restored following the situation returns to normal.
The protests are the first major challenge to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government since the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) won a fourth consecutive term in January elections.
Rising youth unemployment and nearly 32 million people out of a population of 17 crore are out of work or education, prompting angry student ‘Freedom Mujahideen’ to end the 30% reservation quota for families. Emphasizing on
There have been reports of intermittent clashes at several places due to the blocking of major highways by the protesters, while eyewitnesses say that there have been clashes between police and protesters at several places in Dhaka.
Human rights organizations such as Amnesty International, as well as the United Nations and the United States, have urged Bangladesh to protect peaceful protesters from violence.
According to AFP, the international human rights organization Amnesty International says that video evidence of this week’s clashes shows that Bangladeshi security forces have used illegal force.
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2024-07-19 06:03:56
