Amidst the ongoing violence in Bangladesh that has claimed the lives of at least 115 people and left scores injured, police have been granted “shoot-on-site” orders as a strict nationwide curfew had been imposed till Sunday morning to control the escalating situation.
India has described the violent protests in Bangladesh as Dhaka’s “internal matter” but also stated that it was monitoring the situation closely as 15,000 Indians reside there. Ministry of External Affairs confirmed that all the 15,000 Indians including 8,500 students are safe.
Meanwhile, 88 other Indians have returned from violence-hit Bangladesh via Meghalaya. On Friday, 363 people including Indians and Nepalese had returned via Meghalaya’s Dawki Integrated Check Post.
The anti-quota protests that are turning more violent with each passing day began a week ago by student groups demanding an end to quota system that reserves up to 30 per cent of government jobs for relatives of veterans who fought in Bangladesh’s war of independence in 1971 against Pakistan.
However, it has now become a huge challenge for Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government, which has been in power since 2009. The protests are reportedly the worst the country has witnessed in over a decade.
Here’s what has happened so far:
- The curfew was imposed at Thursday midnight and was relaxed for two hours between noon to 2 PM for people to run necessary errands. The nationwide curfew is likely to last until 10 AM, Sunday, Associated Press reported.
- According to an AFP report, the death toll has now risen to 115 from 100.
🇧🇩 Bangladesh : la police a tiré à balles réelles sur des manifestants réunis samedi dans la capitale Dacca, en violation du couvre-feu imposé par le gouvernement pour contenir les troubles civils croissants qui ont fait au moins 115 morts #AFP pic.twitter.com/A2D5QjR0Zg
— Agence France-Presse (@afpfr) July 20, 2024
- Police have also been granted “shoot at sight” orders, allowing them to fire on mobs in case situation demands, Lawmaker Obaidul Quader, Awami League party’s general secretary said.
- The curfew, as per officials, was to quell the violence after cops and protestors clashed at the university campuses in Dhaka and across other cities. All gatherings and demonstrations have been banned.
- 186 people stranded in Bangladesh amid the protests, returned to India via Dawki Integrated Check Post in Meghalaya’s Jaintia Hills district on Saturday. Out of them, 88 are Indians and 98 are Nepalese.
- In the past three days, a total of 856 people from India, Bhutan, and Nepal, mostly students, have crossed over to India due to agitation, PTI reported.
- Indian Railways also cancelled two trains to Bangladesh including Kolkata-Dhaka Maitree Express on Saturday and Bandhan Express between Kolkata and Khulna on Sunday.
- Meanwhile, around 100 students returned to India through two integrated checkposts in Tripura, the Border Security Force stated.
- BSF is monitoring the situation closely and has said that more students will be returning soon.
- In a statement issued on Saturday, MEA stated that it was “coordinating with civil aviation, immigration, BSF authorities, and and land ports.”
Update on return of Indian Nationals in Bangladesh:https://t.co/uR41LSSc7O pic.twitter.com/GRWIWJAAiu
— Randhir Jaiswal (@MEAIndia) July 20, 2024
- July 19 is said to be the deadliest day in the protests so far, with reportedly 43 people dead in a day, AP reported citing Somoy TV.
- United States Embassy in Dhaka stated that the situation in the country was “extremely volatile” leaving “hundreds to possibly thousands” injured across Bangladesh.
- The online communications were blocked by the authorities since Thursday with the internet and mobile services banned. Various TV news channels also went off air.
- As per AP’s report, the websites of most local newspapers were also shut down.
- Bangladesh’s central bank and PMO’s website were also hacked and defaced.
- The protestors also stormed a prison facility and set it ablaze on July 19, leading around 800 inmates to flee in Narsingdi, the AP report noted.
- Protesting students have been arguing that the quota system is discriminatory and only benefits PM Hasina’s supporters, as her party led the independence movement. They are demanding a merit-based system.
- Earlier this week, pro-government students attacked the protesting students, while the cops were accused of insighting violence by firing tear gas, stun grenades at protestors, the Guardian reported.
- Hasina defended the reservation system saying that the war veterans deserve respect for their contribution, irrespective of their political affiliation.
- A student protestor told The Guardian that the police had gone from using rubber bullets to live ammunition.
