Bangladesh descended into chaos on Sunday as millions of protesters from big cities to small villages and belonging all walks of life demand the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina – even as ruling party affiliates and the security forces cracked down on the demonstrations.
The nationwide civil disobedience campaign led to widespread violence that resulted the deaths of at least 48 persons on Sunday. Fatalities were reported from several districts including Dhaka. Many are fighting death with severe gunshot wounds in hospitals.
In Sirajganj in the north, at least 13 police personnel of the Enayetpur Police Station were killed as criminals attacked the station, officials said.
Yet, the protesters are not backing down from their “one point, one demand”. In response, the Bangladesh government has again imposed a curfew in all major cities and towns, effective from 6 pm local time.
Meanwhile, to quell public disapproval, the government through an executive order announced a three-day public holiday starting Monday.
The authorities have ordered mobile operators to shut down cellular internet services.
The hashtag #StepDownHasina is now trending on X (formerly Twitter) with over a lakh posts expressing displeasure of the government. The protests also resounded on Facebook.
On Sunday morning, Asif Mahmud, one of the key protest leaders, urged supporters to prepare for battle. “Prepare bamboo sticks and liberate Bangladesh,” he wrote on Facebook.
Nahid, another major protest leader, declared, “To ensure public safety and establish justice in society, we stand united on a single demand: the resignation of the Sheikh Hasina government and the elimination of fascism from the country.”
He added, “Hasina and her entire cabinet must quit. The fascist regime must be dismantled. We seek a political system where there is no possibility of the return of autocracy or fascism.”
The protests on Sunday have brought the country to a standstill, with extensive clashes reported in Dhaka, Chattogram, Sylhet and other cities.
Reports of gunfire emerged from Dhaka’s Dhanmondi area, where a journalist was also attacked, according to Bangladesh’s largest daily Prothom Alo,
In Chattogram, shots were fired at protesters, reportedly by members of the Awami League.
Sylhet saw violent confrontations between students and police, who used tear gas and sound grenades to disperse the crowds.
In earlier protests, the army had stepped in to help restore order. But reports from Sunday suggest the protestors garnered support from the Bangladesh Army. Several videos on the internet said that soliders were safeguarding protesting students in several districts from attackers who were said to belong to the ruling Awami League.
Many were heard chanting, “Ei muhurte dorkar, Shenabahini shorkar”, or “what we need right now is a military government.”
On Saturday, after a meeting at Army Headquarters in the capital, Army Chief of Staff General Waker-uz-Zaman said that “the Bangladesh Army stands by the people and will continue to do so in times of need”.
The demonstrations, initially sparked by the reintroduction at the end of June of a controversial quota scheme for government jobs, have evolved into a broader anti-government movement.
The rallies against the quotas led to days of chaos that saw more than 200 people killed in some of the worst periods of unrest during Hasina’s 15-year tenure.
Despite the government scaling back the quota following a court ruling on July 21, protesters demand justice for those killed and injured and called for Sheikh Hasina to resign.
Aziz Miah, a rickshaw puller, said Bangladeshis had been silent for years despite the years of oppression by the Awami League government.
“Our brothers were killed when they protested,” he said. “How long will we remain silent? The time has come to take to the streets.”
Students Against Discrimination, the main group behind the protests, has called on citizens to stop paying taxes and utility bills as part of a civil disobedience movement to increase the pressure on the government.
They have also urged strikes in the country’s economically vital garment factories.
Sheikh Hasina, who has ruled Bangladesh since 2009 and secured her fourth consecutive term in January’s elections, has faced sharp criticism for her government’s heavy-handed response, with reports of extrajudicial killings and mass detentions.
Mehedi Hasan Marof is a reporter in Dhaka.