Deaths, protests continue despite curfew in Bangladesh — BenarNews

Anti-government protesters defied government-imposed curfews in parts of Bangladesh on Saturday as soldiers patrolled the streets in an attempt to end deadly unrest that has gripped the country for a week.

While Dhaka was largely empty – its streets littered with fallen trees, damaged vehicles and rolls of barbed wire – BenarNews reporters witnessed violent clashes between protesters and law enforcement in four parts of the city.

“We don’t care about the curfew. Unless the government resigns, we will continue our protest,” Arafat Hossein, a student protester in Dhaka’s Jatrabari neighborhood, told BenarNews.

At least 25 more people were killed on Saturday, most of them in Dhaka, according to a BenarNews count based on calls to area hospitals. Two of the dead were police officers, bringing the death toll to social unrest since Tuesday to 124Among the victims was the cousin of Shahida Begum, a 28-year-old resident of Dhaka.

“My nephew was so innocent. He doesn’t know much. He’s such a child! They killed him, even though he’s innocent. I want justice. Why did they kill my nephew? He didn’t do anything. He’s just a student,” she told an Agence France-Presse reporter.

The Government of Bangladesh a nationwide curfew has been imposed and announced that the army would be deployed on Friday night, a day on which 67 people were killed on the streets, according to a BenarNews count.

That evening, the The secretary general of the ruling Awami League said the troops would operate under a “shoot on sight” order.

However, BenarNews reporters on Saturday saw military personnel exercising restraint, with Dhaka police announcing that curfew violators could face up to a year in prison.

Civil servants said the curfew would remain in effect until at least 10 a.m. Sunday. Also on Sunday, Bangladesh’s Supreme Court is expected to rule on the unpopular job quota system that was reinstated by a lower court last month, a cause of the student protest movement that began in early July.

The quota reserve 30% of civil service jobs for descendants of those who fought in Bangladesh’s 1971 war of independence. But critics say the quota benefits supporters of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s ruling Awami League.

The protests took place a different tone after Hasina on July 14 equated those who wanted to end job quotas with Pakistani army collaborators during the war. As angry students openly criticized Hasina on the streets, the protests degenerated into clashes with pro-government groups and law enforcement officials.

On Saturday, as the state-imposed internet shutdown entered its third day, banks in Bangladesh sent text messages apologizing to customers who were unable to access their accounts, top up their mobile phone plans or pay bills online.

On X (Twitter), NetBlocksA group that tracks internet connectivity and democracy noted that Bangladesh has now been offline for more than 48 hours. “The blackout continues to hamper human rights observers and independent media at a critical time,” the group said.

Major Bangladeshi news portals such as Prothom Alo, New Age, bdnews24 and BSS, the state news agency, are either not loading or not updated.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud told reporters on Saturday that some international media were spreading “incorrect” information about the protests.

Abdul Mannan, a rickshaw puller in Mirpur, Dhaka, said the unrest had turned his life upside down.

“I have not worked for the last four days. We are people who earn and spend every day, we have no savings. Now we cannot go home with food at the end of the day. This situation must stop,” he told BenarNews.

Firoz Alam, a resident of Mirpur, noted that the anti-quota movement had turned into an anti-government movement.

“So many deaths in one movement is really painful. But the most alarming thing is that even after imposing a curfew, peace did not return to Dhaka,” he said.