Bangladeshi authorities confirmed on Saturday, August 10, that 12 people were killed and dozens of prisoners escaped during two separate prisonbreak attempts in the country.
Abu Fateh, the head of Bangladesh’s prisons, stated that six inmates were killed in the Jamalpur prison after attacking security forces.
According to this Bangladeshi official, the prisoners attacked the guards on Thursday with iron rods and sharp blades and set fire to the prison offices. He added that the inmates attempted to free all 600 prisoners from the facility.
Abu Fateh mentioned that in response to this incident, prison security officers opened fire on the escapees, resulting in the deaths of six inmates.
Lutfur Rahman, the police chief, told the media that six other inmates were killed on Tuesday during a large-scale assault at a high-security prison in Kashimpur, located 30 kilometers from Dhaka.
The police chief also added that the prisoners used iron tools and rebar to attack the guards and broke the main gate of the prison. This police official confirmed that six inmates were killed in the security forces’ response.
Lutfur Rahman further stated that at least 203 prisoners managed to escape from Kashimpur prison during this attack and escape attempt.
Bangladeshi authorities report that the Kashimpur high-security prison houses some of Bangladesh’s most notorious convicts, including Islamist extremists and murderers. However, Lutfur Rahman noted that none of the infamous inmates or major criminals succeeded in escaping during this incident.
The prison escapes in Bangladesh occurred amid nationwide and violent student protests that have been ongoing for over a month. Bangladeshi students have been holding nationwide demonstrations protesting the allocation of government jobs to the families of those who fought in the country’s independence war against Pakistan.
According to media reports, at least 450 people have died as a result of the violent student protests in Bangladesh.
Last week, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resigned amidst the growing unrest and fled to India by helicopter. On Thursday evening, an interim government led by Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus was formed in Bangladesh.
The recent events in Bangladesh, marked by violent jailbreak attempts and widespread student protests, highlight a period of intense turmoil and instability in the country.
The simultaneous occurrences of these crises suggest a deep-rooted dissatisfaction among the populace and indicate significant challenges for the newly formed interim government led by Muhammad Yunus.
The country now faces the difficult task of restoring order and addressing the grievances that have led to such widespread unrest.
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