Nearly 100 killed as fresh antigovernment protests turn violent in Bangladesh
Nearly 100 people were killed in antigovernment protests in Bangladesh on Sunday, according to local media reports.
The Associated Press (AP) reported that one of the country’s top newspapers, Prothom Alo, reported that at least 95 people, including at least 14 police officers, died in the new wave of antigovernment protests, while Channel 24 said there were at least 85 people killed.
A curfew has been put in place starting Sunday evening indefinitely in the capital, Dhaka, and other areas, the news service reported.
The protesters are calling on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to resign, which follows demonstrations last month from student protesters who demanded an end to a quota system that reserved 30 percent of government jobs for relatives of veterans who fought in Bangladesh’s war of independence in 1971, according to the AP.
Last month’s demonstrations left more than 200 dead as protesters clashed with police. At one point, Hasina imposed an 11-day internet shutdown that was lifted last week.
Hasina said the fresh wave of protests was “sabotage,” saying that those participating in them were criminals, according to the AP. The government said Sunday that there would be a holiday from Monday to Wednesday and that mobile internet service would be cut off, the AP reported.
The State Department issued a do not travel advisory for Bangladesh last month, citing civil unrest, crime and terrorism.
The Associated Press contributed.