Ruma Paul
DHAKA (Reuters) – Clashes in Bangladesh killed at least 73 people and injured hundreds on Sunday as police fired tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse tens of thousands of protesters calling for Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s resignation.
The government announced an indefinite nationwide curfew from 6pm (1200 GMT) on Sunday, the first such measure amid the current protests that began last month. It also announced a three-day holiday starting Monday.
The unrest prompted the government to shut down internet services, the biggest test of Hasina’s 20-year rule after winning a fourth consecutive term in an election boycotted by the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party. .
Hasina’s critics and rights groups have accused her government of using excessive force against protesters, a charge she and her ministers deny.
Violence spread across the country on Sunday as demonstrators blocked major highways and student protesters launched a non-cooperation plan urging the government to resign.
“The people protesting in the streets now are not students but terrorists who are trying to destabilize the country,” Hasina said after a meeting of the National Security Agency.
“I call on our compatriots to use forceful measures to suppress these terrorists.”
The violence has rocked the country of 170 million people, with police stations and ruling party offices targeted.
Police official Bijoy Bosak said 12 police officers were beaten to death in the northwestern Sirajganj district.
Fierce clashes broke out in the capital Dhaka, leaving at least eight people dead and dozens injured, including two students and a ruling party leader, police and witnesses said.
gunshot wound
Two construction workers died and 30 others were injured on their way to work in clashes between protesters, police and ruling party activists in the central district of Munsiganj, witnesses said.
“They died of gunshot wounds when they were brought to the hospital,” regional hospital director Abu Hena Mohammed Gamal said.
Police said they did not fire any live rounds.
Witnesses said at least three people were killed and 50 injured in clashes between protesters and activists from Hasina’s ruling Awami League party in the northeastern district of Pabna.
Hospital officials said three people were killed in the violence in the northern Bogura district and 53 people died in 12 other districts.
“Attacks on hospitals are unacceptable,” Health Minister Samantha Larson said after a group vandalized a Dhaka medical college hospital and set fire to vehicles, including an ambulance.
Mobile operators say the government has shut down high-speed internet services for the second time amid recent protests. Social media platforms Facebook (NASDAQ: ) and WhatsApp were unavailable, even over a broadband connection.
Bangladeshi authorities on Sunday instructed the country’s telecoms providers to shut down 4G, effectively disabling network services, according to a confidential government memo seen by Reuters.
government order
“Please turn off all 4G services until further notice, only 2G services are available,” the document released by the National Telecommunications Monitoring Center, the government intelligence agency, said.
Telecom companies were previously told their licenses would be revoked if they did not comply with government orders, a person with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters.
The telecoms regulator did not respond to calls from Reuters.
Last month, at least 150 people were killed and thousands injured in violence triggered by student groups protesting against government job quotas.
Protests were suspended after the Supreme Court struck down most quotas, but students returned to the streets last week in sporadic protests demanding justice for the families of the victims.
“I think the genie is out of the bottle and Hasina may not put it back in the bottle,” said Shakeel Ahmed, associate professor of government and politics at Jahangirnagar University.
“The prime minister should form a national government immediately to promote greater unity.”
Chief of Army Staff General Wak-uz-Zaman on Saturday directed his officers to ensure the safety of people’s lives, property and important national installations under all circumstances, a statement said.
The statement quoted him as saying: “The Bangladesh Army is a symbol of the people’s trust. The Army will always exist and will always exist for the benefit of the people and any need of the country.”
He also urged officials to remain vigilant against “various rumors” circulating on social media and to perform their duties with honesty, integrity and impartiality. Zaman will brief the media on Monday.
