At Least 43 Killed During Clashes In Bangladesh, PM Sheikh Hasina Calls Protesters Not Students But Terrorists

Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina/PHOTO via Wikimedia Commons/DelwarHossain

JAKARTA - At least 43 people were killed and hundreds injured in clashes in Bangladesh on Sunday, August 4 as tens of thousands of protesters called for the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Police fired tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse the crowd. The government announced an indefinite national curfew starting at 6pm (12.00 GMT) on Sunday, first taking such a step during the current protests that began last month. It also announced a three-day public holiday starting Monday. Riots have prompted the government to close internet services. This riot is a Hasina's biggest test since January when deadly protests erupted after she won her fourth consecutive term in elections boycotted by the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party. Hasina's critics, along with human rights groups, accuse her government of using excessive force to eradicate the movement. This allegation was denied by Hasina and her ministers. Protesters blocked major highways on Sunday as student protesters launched a non-cooperation program to suppress government resignations, and violence spread across the country. "Those protesting on the streets at the moment are not students, but terrorists who want to destabilize the nation," Hasina said after a national security panel meeting, which was attended by the heads of the army, navy, air force, police and other agencies. from Reuters, Sunday, July 4. "I urge our citizens to suppress these terrorists with strong hands." The powerful police offices and party offices were targeted when violence rocked the country of 170 million people.

At least five people were killed and dozens injured amid fierce clashes in several places in the capital, Dhaka, police and eyewitnesses said. Two construction workers were killed on the way to work and another 30 injured in the central district of Munsiganj, in a three-way clash between protesters, police, and ruling party activists, witnesses said. "They were taken to the hospital with gunshot wounds," said Abu Hena Mohammad Jamal, district hospital supervisor.