Reuters and Europa Press

The newspaper La Jornada
Monday, August 5, 2024, p. 30

Dhaka. At least 91 people were killed and hundreds more injured in clashes yesterday in Bangladesh, where police fired tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse thousands of protesters calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

The death toll, which includes at least 13 police officers, is the highest in a single day of protests in recent Bangladesh history, surpassing the 67 deaths recorded on July 19, when students took to the streets to demand the abolition of quotas on public jobs.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, warned that the shocking violence in bangladesh must cease.

The government declared an indefinite curfew across the country starting at 6 p.m. yesterday, the first time it has taken such a measure during the protests, which began last month. It also announced three days of general holidays starting today.

The unrest, which prompted the government to shut down internet services, is the biggest test facing Hasina in her 20-year rule after she won a fourth consecutive term in an election that was boycotted by the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party.

Hasina’s critics, along with human rights groups, accuse her government of using excessive force against protesters, something she and her ministers deny.

Protesters blocked major highways yesterday as students launched a non-cooperation programme to push for the government’s resignation, and violence spread across the country.

Those protesting are not students, but terrorists who want to destabilize the nationHasina said after a meeting of the national security group, attended by the heads of the army, navy, air force, police and other agencies.

Police stations and ruling party offices were attacked as violence rocked the country of 170 million people.