#Quota Movement in Bangladesh 2024

[luminewhosthat]

Bidrohi- Rebellion, written by Late Kazi Nazrul Islam, our national poet of Bangladesh.

The students of Bangladesh are dedicating this to the brave martyr "Shaheed Abu Sayed," killed from the gunshot of a police officer in Bangladesh at the mass quota reform student protest.

Bravo you cry,

Say hold your head high

Before my head, bows peaks of Himalayas

"Bravo" are your cries.

Your cries hails piercing skies and universes

Travels beyond moons and suns and galaxies

Piercing the earths and the heavens

Challenging the seat "throne" of the Almighty.

It raises in eternal wonder among World's destinies

On my forehead glows the angry God's emblem of victories.

"Bravo" are your cries.

I am who holds head high.

I am eternally wild, arrogant, and barbarian.

I am the dancer of the great cataclysm, I am cyclone, I am destruction.

I am the great fear, I am curse of the universe.

I am unsparing.

I destroy everything

I am chaotic, unchained.

I defy all rules, all laws and chains.

I do not follow any rule,

I sink a filled boat, I am torpedo, I am profane, I am wafting mine.

I am a God with untidy hairdo, or Goddess with untied hairs,

a sudden tempest of early summers.

I am rebel, I am rebel son of this world & universe

"Bravo" are your cries.

I am who holds head high.

I am rainstorm, I am hurricane,

I destroy everything that comes in my way.

I am dance crazy beat.

I dance at my will, I am life's free upbeat.

I am the night tune, I am dark dramatist, I am mystic strain

I am poignant agitation, caper and dance,

I surprise as I walk down the way

I prance as I sway

I am excited night melody.

I do whatever my heart desires

Wrestle with death, embrace enemies.

I am epidemic, I am fear of the land

I am tyrant ruler, for slaughter I am ever restless.

"Bravo" are your cries.

I am who holds head high.

I am indomitably naughty forever,

I am irrepressible, my cup of life is always and eternally full with liquor.

I am the pyres of sacrificial rites, I am devout meditator, I devour fire.

I am sacrificial fire, I am the priest father, I am the ultimate fire.

I am the creation, I am destruction, I am habituation, I am crematorium.

I am the conclusion, I am the darkest salvation.

I am son of queen of goddesses, moon in my hand & sun on my forehead.

On my one hand is tender flute of cane and on the other a war trumpet.

I am the one with blue throat, relieve pains of lover by drinking virulent.

I am the one with untidy knotted hairlocks, I hold unchained streams of Ganges.

"Bravo" are your cries.

I am the one who holds head high.

I am ascetic, the musician.

I am prince, my royal robe is pale saffron.

I am Bedouin, I am Chenghiz.

I worship none other but me.

I am thunder, I am the great universal sound of northeast.

I am the ornament of the burning Islamic angel, the mighty blast.

I am the musical instrument of the destroyer, the staff of the upholder of the truth.

I am the eternal circlet and the primary musical instrument-the great conch,

I am the primeval cry of the gong.

I am an eccentric ascetic and a disciple of a great saint.

I am the conflagration, shall burn the entire planet.

I am the ecstatic laughter of delight,- I am a terror-believer of iconoclasm.

I am the great gobbler of the twelve suns during the great cataclysm.

I am sometimes calm, sometimes wild, terribly disorderly.

I am the glowing blood of the youth, humble pride of the destiny.

I am violet gust of a storm, I am delightful wave of ocean

I am brilliance, I am radiant elegance.

I am sound of surging waters, sways of rolling waves!

I am unbridled hairs of a maiden whose big eyes flash with fires.

I am uncontrolled romance of a maid of sixteen, blessed as in paradise.

I am unquiet mind of a sad maid,

I am in breasts of a widow as her sobs and sighs.

I am the swindled pain of the gypsies, eternal homeless traveler.

I am the extreme pain of the humiliated, the burning sensation of poison,

the anguish of the dejected lover.

I am the vanity of the eternally distressed soul's grief, deeply entrenched pain.

Sudden-kiss-hidden-shivers, I am the trembling- quivering frail first touch of a woman.

I am the sudden glance of secret lover who by deception meets for moments.

I am the love of a lively girl, the jingles of her bangles.

I am the eternal child, youth forever

I am village maid afraid of adolescence, the scratch of veil on shoulder.

I am northern blizzard, fading fire, saddened eastern breeze.

I am the strains of a traveler poet, his cane flute's wheeze.

I am an eager thirst of summer, I am the scorching midday Sun.

I am cascading desert stream, I am soothing shadowy tone.

I rush in euphoric joys, its insane, I am insane

I suddenly discovered myself, unchained are my chains.

I am the rise, I am the fall, I am the alertness of unconscious mentality.

I am the sign on the gate of the world, the triumphant flag of humanity.

I rush forward clapping alike the storm traversing the heaven and this territory.

I ride the mighty energetic drunk flying horse of the Hindu & Islamic mythology.

I am a volcano on the bosom of the earth, the wild fire, the divine conflagration.

I am a burning rock in the hell-its wail-call-clamorous agitation.

I fly with speed of lightning, leaping in exultation.

I suddenly generate terror in seven worlds, initiate earthquake and undulation.

I clasp the head of mythological cobra of Hindus.

I clasp the blazing wings of the Christian consul.

I am the son of God, I am restless.

I am lewd, I tear with my teeth the bosom veil of mother earth.

I am the flute of the ancient Greek charmer

I calm the turbulent oceans.

I kiss sleep to entire world and draw them in slumber.

In strains of flute I endear

I am the cane flute of the Hindu universal lover.

When I become angry, I traverse beyond galaxies.

Defeating hell of Hindus and trampling the quivering infernos of Muslims.

I am the emissary of rebellions, bring message of revolt to earth from skies.

I am floods-torrential.

I sometimes enrich earth sometime wreck devastation.

I shall snatch from the God's bust the epitomes of wealth and erudition.

I am injustice, I am shooting star, I am evil luck.

I am blazing comet, poisonous deadly snake head.

I am the headless goddess, I am bring destruction and war .

I sit in inferno of hell and smile like an innocent flower.

I am soft as clay, I am conscious,

I am ageless, immortal, eternal, I am ceaseless.

I am terror of humans, demons & gods,

I am, in this world, eternally unconquerable.

I am God of gods, the eternal truth

I dance and trample the heaven, hell and earth.

I am insane, I am insane.

I discovered myself, unchained my chains.

I am the cruel axe of the fundamental man.

I shall bring peace by relieving this world of war thirsty clans.

I am the plough of the avatar of cultivation.

I uproot the sub-ordination from this world with ease in joys of new constitution.

I am the great rebel now weary of crusades

I shall rest only on that day,

When the wails of the oppressed will not echo in skies and airs.

When the battlefields do not echo the jingles of warring sabres.

The great rebel now weary of crusades

I shall rest only on that day!

I am rebellion saint who edges footprints on chest of the God who is sleepy.

I tear away the chest of the whimsical Almighty.

I am the eternal brave rebel.

I raise above all, my head forever high, all alone.

The translation may not be great, but it is an amazing poem which raged fire within the British Government settlers in India.

"Bidrohi" is a popular revolutionary Bengali poem and the most famous poem written by Kazi Nazrul Islam in December 1921. Originally published in several periodicals, the poem was first collected in October 1922 in a volume titled Agnibeena: the first anthology of Nazrul's poems.

[ianduncankinnie]

KEEP YOUR EYES ON BANGLADESH

I don't know how long I have. The internet may go down again. Across the country over 50 people are dead from the conflicts. Reporters are being beaten. 5 people beaten to death. Police station in Sirajganj set on fire. 13 officers were beaten to death. May Allah rest their soul and help their families. Indefinite Curfew started from 6pm today. The next 3 days were declared national holidays. There's faint gunshots from where I live. Security cameras broken.

Edit: while writing this the Prothom Alo reported 79 dead.

KEEP YOUR EYES ON BANGLADESH

[urlocalbone]

leaving Bangladesh in 2 days of time... মানুষের যন্ত্রণায় শরত কখনো দগ্ধ হয়নি সে জানেনা ঘোর অমানিশা কাকে বলে আপন মনে শুভ্র কাশফুল ফুটিয়ে যায় রৌদ্রতলে কিন্তু খেয়াল করে না কাশের পরাগের মত ভেসে ভেসে যাচ্ছে কত জীবনের খেয়ানৌকা! মৃন্ময়ী দুর্গাকে এর আগে কখনো মৃত মনে হয়নি কিন্তু এবার তো মা মাটির তৈরি একটা সুন্দর লাশ হাতের পুতুল খেলার পুতুল শারদ মেঘেরা বেহায়া ভীষণ-- তাও ছুটে ছুটে ধায়! শরত এক নিঠুর সুন্দর ঋতু চলে যাব বলে একটু কাঁদল না সে? ১২।০৯।২৪ ঢাকা

[muhtesemz]

Anti-quota movement, Rajshahi University, Bangladesh.

July 17, 2024.

[lilylived]

They started a website for the martyrs in Bangladesh:

[beardedmrbean]

Bangladesh's parliament has been dissolved, a day after prime minister Sheikh Hasina was forced from power.

Ms Hasina resigned and fled the country after weeks of student-led protests spiralled into deadly unrest.

The dissolution of parliament, a key demand of protesters, paves the way for establishing an interim government.

Bangladeshis are waiting to see what comes next, as the country's military chief is holding talks with political leaders and protest organisers.

According to local media, more than 100 people died in violent clashes across Bangladesh on Monday, the single deadliest day since mass demonstrations began.

Hundreds of police stations were also torched, with the Bangladesh Police Service Association (BPSA) declaring a strike "until the security of every member of the police is secure".

The group also sought to place the blame at the door of authorities, saying they were "forced to fire".

Overall, more than 400 people are believed to have died, as protests were met with harsh repression by government forces.

The protests began in early July with peaceful demands from university students to abolish quotas in civil service jobs, but snowballed into a broader anti-government movement.

Weeks of unrest culminated in the storming of the prime minister's official residence, not long after Ms Hasina had fled to neighbouring India, ending nearly 15 years of rule.

Bangladeshi leaders are under pressure to establish an interim government to avoid a power vacuum that could lead to further clashes.

Within hours of her resignation, Bangladesh's army chief Gen Waker-uz-Zaman pledged that an interim administration would be formed, adding on state television that "it is time to stop the violence".

Student leaders have been clear they will not accept a military-led government, pushing for Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus to become the interim government's chief adviser.

Mr Yunus, who agreed to take up the role, said: “When the students who sacrificed so much are requesting me to step in at this difficult juncture, how can I refuse?”

He is returning to Dhaka from Paris, where he is undergoing a minor medical procedure, according to his spokesperson.

Meanwhile, ex-prime minister and key opposition leader Khaleda Zia was released from years of house arrest, a presidential statement said.

She chairs the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), which boycotted elections in 2014 and again in 2024, saying free and fair elections were not possible under Ms Hasina.

The BNP wanted the polls to be held under a neutral caretaker administration. This has now become a possibility after the departure of Ms Hasina, who had always rejected this demand.

Ms Zia, 78, served as prime minister of Bangladesh from 1991 to 1996, but was imprisoned in 2018 for corruption, although she said the charges were politically motivated.

She was not the only opposition figure to be released after years of detention.

Activist Ahmad Bin Quasem was also released from detention, according to his lawyer Michael Polak.

Rights groups say Mr Quasem was taken away by security forces in 2016, just one of hundreds of forced disappearances in the country under Ms Hasina's rule.

"There were many points during his detention that he was feared dead, and the uncertainty was one of the many tools of repression utilised by the regime," Mr Polak explained, adding they hoped the decision to release political prisoners "is a positive sign of their intentions".

"Unfortunately, the good news won’t be shared by all," he told the BBC, stating that a number of political prisoners had died in custody.

At least 20 other families of political prisoners gathered outside a military intelligence force building in the capital Dhaka earlier in the day, still desperately waiting for news about their loved ones, AFP news agency reports.

"We need answers," Sanjida Islam Tulee, a co-ordinator of Mayer Daak (The Call of the Mothers) campaign group, told the news agency.

Across the border in India, Foreign Minister S Jaishankar said he was "deeply concerned till law and order is visibly restored" in Bangladesh, with which India shares a 4,096-km (2,545-mile) border and has close economic and cultural ties.

He gave the first official confirmation that Ms Hasina made a request to travel to India at "very short notice" and "arrived yesterday evening in Delhi".

India also deployed additional troops along its border with Bangladesh.

"Our border guarding forces have also been instructed to be exceptionally alert in view of this complex situation," Mr Jaishankar said.

[gooogoogaagaaa]

What's Happening in Bangladesh?

A very abhorrent and awful situation is taking place in my country right now. Reblog and share. Students throughout Bangladesh are protesting the Quota Movement for Government Jobs, especially the fact that a 30% quota is given to grandchildren of the Freedom Fighters that fought in the Liberation War which is absolutely absurd. What was supposed to be a peaceful protest turned into a bloodbath as the chhatro league and the police attacked and even unjustly murdered some of the protesters, not even sparing young children as a 2 year old was shot. These shits are attacking various areas and protesters are facing violence everywhere throughout the city. Our prime minister in response has the fucking audacity to call the protesters Rajakars (people who were against Bangladeshi Liberation) and consistently ignores and lies about the whole situation. Students left and right have been injured, maimed and killed and the opposition are using guns and tanks to hurt our students.

In truth, the real Rajakars are the pieces of shit government, the Awami League and sheikh hasina .

I implore anyone that sees this or any other posts about the situation in our country to SPREAD AWARENESS. Contact news channels and share information and if you have any information for the protesters share those. The world needs to know what is happening here. Thank you for taking the time to read this and I hope you can join the fight for the rights of our students.

All Eyes On Bangladeshi Students. https://www.instagram.com/p/C9dm8ZTOVAK/?img_index=1

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These are the brave souls that have sadly passed away. May they rest in peace in Jannah. Inna Lillahi Wa Inna Ilayhi Raji'un.

FOR DONATIONS:

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write about whats happening in bangladesh here!!!!! https://www.instagram.com/channel/Aba321pOIStWS5GI/ Insta gc that posts updates and info!!!!!

[warningsine]

https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/taxis-security-escort-help-indian-students-escape-violence-hit-bangladesh-2024-07-19/

GUWAHATI, India, July 19 (Reuters) - A fleet of taxis, a security escort, and a harrowing six-hour journey brought Asif Hussain and about 80 other Indian students back home on Friday from Bangladesh, where violence has erupted between protesters and security forces.

At least 20 people have been killed in the clashes this week - most of them in the capital Dhaka - with police firing tear gas and rubber bullets to scatter protesters who also torched vehicles and establishments. The protesters oppose a system of quotas for government jobs.

Some mobile internet services were cut off on Thursday and telecom links remained widely disrupted on Friday.

For Hussain, who studies at a private medical college in Bangladesh's Manikganj district, about 50 km (30 miles)from Dhaka, being cut off from his family in India was especially "stressful".

"Our college was not affected by the violence but we heard there was trouble in the town (about 15 minutes away)," he told Reuters.

As news came in of students being killed in Dhaka, Hussain and about 80 others from his college hired private taxis to travel to the border that Bangladesh shares with India's eastern state of West Bengal, about 170 km away.

The Indian High Commission (embassy) in Bangladesh also provided the students with a security escort after they requested for it, Hussain said.

Leaving their college at 2.30 a.m., the group reached the border six hours later but crossed it only in the afternoon after clearing immigration.

For Hussain, the journey will continue for another day as he travels to his hometown, Dhubri, in Assam state.

"It has been very scary...I have (still) not been able to speak to many of my friends in Dhaka," he said.

Around 8,500 Indians are studying in Bangladesh - many of them pursuing medicine - India's foreign ministry says, and about 15,000 Indians live in the country.

Bangladesh's history is closely intertwined with India, which intervened on the side of Bengali nationalists in their 1971 war of independence against Pakistan.

India's Meghalaya state, which too shares a border with Bangladesh, is also helping to evacuate people, with officials saying more than 350 students from India, Nepal and Bhutan have entered through this route so far.

In an advisory, India urged its citizens in Bangladesh to minimise movement outside their residences. The foreign ministry on Friday said that all Indians in Bangladesh were safe.

Nepal similarly said it was "closely monitoring" the situation in Bangladesh, where around 3,000 of its citizens study and another 50 work with the United Nations and other international organisations.

[luminewhosthat]

The airports in my country are blocked. Fuck this shit. Never in my life had I wanted to gain the ability to fly so bad. I wanna go home. When will this end ??

[anarcha-androgyny]

Jul 15, 2024

« Violent clashes between people loyal to Bangladesh’s ruling party and demonstrators protesting against job quotas for coveted government jobs have wounded at least 100 people, police say.

The quota system reserves more than half of well-paid civil service posts, totalling hundreds of thousands of government jobs, for specific groups, including children of fighters in the country’s 1971 war of independence from Pakistan.

Critics say the system benefits children of pro-government groups who back Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who won her fourth consecutive term in a general election in January that was boycotted by the opposition.

Bangladesh’s top court last week temporarily suspended the quotas, but protesters have promised to continue their rallies until the parts of the scheme they oppose are scrapped completely.

Police and witnesses said hundreds of antiquota protesters and students backing the ruling Awami League party battled for hours on Monday on the Dhaka University campus, hurling rocks, fighting with sticks and beating each other with iron rods.

Some carried machetes while others threw petrol bombs, witnesses said in a report by the AFP news agency. “They clashed with sticks and threw rocks at each other,” police official Mostajirur Rahman told AFP.

Nahid Islam, national coordinator of the antiquota protests, said their “peaceful procession” was attacked by people carrying rods, sticks and rocks. “They beat our female protesters. At least 150 students were injured, including 30 women, and conditions of 20 students are serious,” he said.

Injured student Shahinur Shumi, 26, said the protesters were taken by surprise.

“We were holding our procession peacefully,” she said from her hospital bed at Dhaka Medical Hospital. “Suddenly, the Chhatra League [ruling party’s student wing] attacked us with sticks, machetes, iron rods and bricks.”

Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud said an “attempt is being made to transform the anti-quota movement into an anti-state one using the emotions of young students”. »

[ianduncankinnie]

I often post about Palestine but I'd like to take a moment to talk about what's happening in Bangladesh.

KEEP YOUR EYE ON BANGLADESH

TL;DR Students killed for protesting the government's quota system. Students are being arrested and murdered for speaking up about their deceased friends. Everyone is being threatened by the government and many social media platforms are being banned.

All I'm asking is to spread the word. Please. International pressure really works for our nation. We're dying here. UNICEF reports 34 children dead. There might be more. All reblogs and likes and shares are appreciated. Thank you. I guess I'll see you tomorrow.

Past

A movement protesting the government's quota system put forth by the father of our nation Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. This was placed in the first place to help the grandchildren of those who fought in the Liberation War of our country to get government jobs. We have a terrible job market here which is why many highly educated people leave the country. On 16th July, While protesting, a Student named Abu Sayed of Begum Rokeya University was killed by the police. This only stoked the feelings of injustice between the students.

During a press conference, the PM was asked about the quota for the grandchildren of veterans. Her response? "If we don't give jobs to the grandchildren of Veterans, will we give jobs to the grandchildren of Razakars?" Razakars are the people who collaborated with the Pakistani Forces to bring down the Bangladeshi freedom fighters. They betrayed the nation for their own gain.

Traitors.

Imagine calling the youth of your nation traitors.

Imagine calling almost 14 million young people who can't find a job despite their credentials betrayers.

Imagine cursing people who are protesting for job equality under a government with the all time highest corruption in the history of this nation.

On 17th July the broadband connection centre in Mohakhali was burned down. Mobile data services and communication were shut down by the PM. After 11 days the internet was properly restored.

On 19th July, A National Military Curfew was put in place by the Prime Minister to mitigate the unrest.

But that was last month. If you need details I highly recommend sources in Bangladesh like the Daily Star or reputable like Al Jazeera. The quota has since been lifted. Lives were lost. But it was for a good cause, right?

Right?

RIGHT?

Present

Well no. There's still a curfew in the capital. Several districts like Cumilla are still under attack. The government warns of not spreading misinformation yet still lie about the severity of the issue. The police are arresting those who protest as well as those who speak up. The students are demanding for the resignation of the PM. The PM obviously refuses to apologise or even acknowledge the deaths of some 147?

or is it 200?

They're not counting how many they're killing. They're not letting anyone else count either.

It is midnight here. This morning as in 4th August 2024, the students have called for a non cooperation movement. The Ruling Party Awami League will also be holding rallies across the nation tomorrow. I do not know what is going to happen to me. I do not want to think of what will happen to my family tomorrow. I don't really care. What I'm truly scared for is the future. As these protests do not end well here.

Future

Precedence says the PM will eventually resign. Every student protest of our nation has ended in momentary success.

Momentary

What comes after is usually a military regime. A caretaker government until a next government is chosen in a supposed election. Even then if they decide to hold an election. The caretaker government is usually run as a dictatorship. It was true for the 60s. It was true for the 90s. I don't doubt it will happen again.

I'm graduating next year. My niece is still new to the academic system. I wish her the best. My grandmas and grandpas are dead. Nobody left to pray for me. My aunts and uncles are growing old. My cousins can't speak up for fear. My mom is so tired. My dad is angry. I'm unsure if I will still be able to post the next couple of days.

All I'm asking is to spread the word. Please. International pressure really works for our nation. We're dying here. UNICEF reports 34 children dead. There might be more. All reblogs and likes and shares are appreciated. Thank you. I guess I'll see you tomorrow.

[globaltrendingnews247]

Know More Details

Today's Update

[muhtesemz]

A child wearing wings during a protest march organized by artists to condemn mass arrests and killings in the quota reform movement. Dhaka, Bangladesh. August 2 (2024)

Photo: Rahul Talukder

[novumtimes]

Hasina flees Bangladesh bleeds. What awaits Delhi? Top takeaways

A man proudly climbs atop the statue of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman – Bangabandhu, the founding father of Bangladesh and urinates on his head. While others bring down his statue with bricks and bats. Museums were ransacked and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s official residence ‘Ganabhaban’ was stormed. Protesters walked out with conquests – stolen furniture, her saree and inner garments. These were visuals from a Bangladesh that fell into the lap of anarchy after months of protests peaked to end Hasina’s 15-year rule and forced her to abruptly fly out of Dhaka. One of India’s friendly neighbours, Bangladesh shares a long history with the country and finds common ground in language, culture and cuisine with West Bengal across the border. Now its future is uncertain. Sheikh Hasina recently visited India to attend PM Modi’s swearing-in ceremony and had acknowledged Dhaka’s good ties with Delhi when she became the Prime Minister for the fourth time in January this year after her party, the Awami League, won the general elections boycotted by much of the opposition over allegations of rigging. As the bloody crisis continues to swell, it’s pertinent to understand Delhi’s approach to the developments. BANGLADESH NEW REGIME DOES NOT WANT CONFRONTATION WITH INDIA What’s getting many anxious is the anticipation that the new government after Hasina might be anti-India or anti-Hindu. Even as Hasina faced allegations of widespread corruption, she could, to a large extent, control the communal elements. With her gone, the thought of an extremist regime got many worried. But Dhaka has assured that attacks on Hindus will be controlled and, as per a report today, such instances have been broadly controlled. Bangladesh is volatile, but the army is in constant touch with the Ministry of External Affairs in India. EAM Jaishankar also assured in Parliament that the Indian government is in touch with the Bangladesh Army in light of the recent developments. BANGLADESH STILL NEEDS ECONOMIC AID AND SUPPORT FROM INDIA Even as anti-India protests erupted in Dhaka months before and is still a dominant sentiment across the protest-engulfed country, Dhaka still needs economic aid and support from Delhi, which makes it clear that it can’t afford to have an anti-India stance at this point. Further, India has also not given shelter to Hasina to not upset the Army-backed caretaker government – a move that does not isolate Delhi from the rest of Southeast Asia and does not give advantage to China. DELHI ON WAIT-AND-WATCH MODE The movement that forced Hasina to step down also allegedly had the backing of Pakistan’s ISI and Jamat as claimed by experts, and what gave wind to it was the discontentment among the people over quota and employment. External forces which allegedly are at play could have their eyes on the stability around India. But India is on wait-and-watch mode and a top-level meeting on the crisis has also been chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi along with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Home Minister Amit Shah, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. CENTRE IN TOUCH WITH BENGAL GOVERNMENT OVER INFILTRATION FEARS Bengal-Bangladesh border was a matter of concern as many feared large-scale infiltration amid the communal undertones that run through Dhaka’s volatile nerves. Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has appealed for peace and requested not to communalise the crisis as she assured that the state government would work according to the instructions of the Centre. However, the closing of the Petropol border has affected daily trade. Moreover, this is not a TMC Vs BJP battle, but a pivotal development that concerns India with the potential of reshaping geopolitics surrounding the subcontinent. Published On: Aug 7, 2024 Tune In Source link via The Novum Times

[sa7abnews]

Bangladesh protesters demand PM resign as death toll mounts

New Post has been published on https://sa7ab.info/2024/08/06/bangladesh-protesters-demand-pm-resign-as-death-toll-mounts/

Bangladesh protesters demand PM resign as death toll mounts

Thousands of Bangladeshi protesters demanding Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resign clashed with government supporters Sunday, with dozens killed in one of the deadliest days since demonstrations began.

Rallies that began last month against civil service job quotas have escalated into some of the worst unrest of Hasina’s 15-year rule and shifted into wider calls for the 76-year-old to step down.

At least 50 people were killed on Sunday alone, the rival sides battling with sticks and knives and security forces firing rifles, taking the total killed since protests began in July to at least 243.

However, soldiers and police in several cases did not intervene to stem the protests, unlike the past month of rallies that repeatedly ended in deadly crackdowns.

A respected former army chief also demanded the government withdraw troops and allow protests in a hugely symbolic rebuke of Hasina.

Demonstrators in Dhaka, surrounded by a tightly packed and cheering crowd, waved a Bangladeshi flag on top of an armoured car as soldiers watched, according to videos on social media verified by media sources.

But elsewhere foreign reporters reported hearing the constant crackle of gunfire from security forces, while mobile internet was tightly restricted and police ordered a nationwide curfew beginning at 6:00 pm (1200 GMT).

Furious protesters seemed determined to continue.

‘Battleground’ 

Troops briefly imposed order after violence erupted in July.

However, crowds returned to the streets in huge numbers this month in a non-cooperation movement aimed at paralysing the government.

Vast crowds of protesters, many wielding sticks, packed into Dhaka’s central Shahbagh Square on Sunday, with street battles in multiple sites as well as in other key cities, police said.

“There were clashes between students and the ruling party men,” police inspector Al Helal told news agency AFP, saying two young men were killed in Dhaka’s Munshiganj district.

“One of the dead was hacked in his head and another had gunshot injuries.”

Another policeman, who asked not to be identified, said “the whole city has turned into a battleground”.

Two people were killed in the northern city of Kishioreganj, where protesters torched a ruling party office, police said.

Police and doctors also reported deaths in districts in the north, west, south and centre of the capital. Six people were killed in the northern town of Raiganj, government administrator Nahid Hasan Khan told AFP.

Asif Mahmud, one of the key leaders in the nationwide civil disobedience campaign, urged supporters to rally after last month’s marches were crushed by police.

“Prepare bamboo sticks and liberate Bangladesh,” he wrote on Facebook Sunday.

Some former military officers have joined the student movement and ex-army chief General Ikbal Karim Bhuiyan turned his Facebook profile picture red in a show of support.

“We call on the incumbent government to withdraw the armed forces from the street immediately,” Bhuiyan told reporters Sunda in a joint statement alongside other senior ex-officers, condemning “egregious killings, torture, disappearances and mass arrests”.

“Those who are responsible for pushing people of this country to a state of such an extreme misery will have to be brought to justice”, he said.

 ‘No longer about job quotas’

Current army chief Waker-uz-Zaman told officers at military headquarters in Dhaka on Saturday the “Bangladesh Army is the symbol of trust of the people”.

“It always stood by the people and will do so for the sake of people and in any need of the state,” he said, according to an army statement, which gave no further details and did not say explicitly whether the army backed the protests.

The protests have grown into a wider anti-government movement across the South Asian nation of some 170 million people.

The mass movement has attracted people from all strata of Bangladesh society, including film stars, musicians and singers. Rap songs calling for people’s support have spread widely on social media.

“It is no longer about job quotas,” said Sakhawat, a young female protester who gave only one name, as she scrawled graffiti on a wall at a protest site in Dhaka, calling Hasina a “killer”.

“What we want is that our next generation can live freely in the country.”

A group of 47 manufacturers in the economically vital garment sector said Sunday they stood in “solidarity” with the protesters.

Obaidul Quader, general secretary of Hasina’s ruling Awami League, has called on party activists to gather “in every district” nationwide to show their support for the government.

Hasina has ruled Bangladesh since 2009 and won her fourth consecutive election in January after a vote without genuine opposition.

Her government is accused by rights groups of misusing state institutions to entrench its hold on power and stamp out dissent, including through the extrajudicial killing of opposition activists.

Demonstrations began in early July over the reintroduction of the quota scheme, which reserved more than half of all government jobs for certain groups. It has since been scaled back by Bangladesh’s top court.

[recentideas]

Quota movement Bangladesh 2024

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