Escalating Unrest in Bangladesh Amid Government Crackdown on Protests

Bangladesh Faces Escalating Unrest Amid Government Crackdown

The government of Bangladesh has reinstated a curfew on Sunday and imposed restrictions on cellular communications as violent clashes during widespread protests have resulted in the deaths of more than a dozen individuals. Renewed and intensified student protests, which followed a deadly crackdown by the government late last month, coupled with a call from Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s ruling party for its supporters to mobilize, have plunged the nation of over 170 million people into a perilous situation.

According to local news reports, at least 20 individuals lost their lives on Sunday, adding to the grim toll of over 200 fatalities that occurred during the crackdown on protests in July. Coordinators of the student-led demonstrations reported a death toll exceeding 50 on Sunday—a figure that remains unverified independently.

What initially began as a peaceful student protest concerning a preferential quota system for public-sector jobs has evolved into a broader expression of discontent directed at Prime Minister Hasina’s increasingly authoritarian governance and her handling of the nation’s economy. Despite the government’s severe response, which included the arrest of more than 10,000 individuals and the filing of police cases against tens of thousands more, the demonstrations have surged back to life since Friday.

The anger of the protesters, fueled by the tragic loss of over 200 lives, has crystallized into a singular demand: the resignation of Prime Minister Hasina, who has held power for 15 years. During a rally attended by tens of thousands of demonstrators on Saturday, this demand was made emphatically clear.

In reaction to the calls for her resignation, the Awami League, Hasina’s political party, summoned its supporters to participate in counterprotests, exacerbating the already volatile situation that erupted on Sunday.

As internet restrictions took effect, leaders of the student movement released a statement urging the continuation of protests without interruption. Nahid Islam, one of the movement’s prominent figures, declared, “If there is an internet crackdown, if we are disappeared, arrested, or killed, and if there is no one left to make announcements, everyone should continue to occupy the streets and maintain peaceful noncooperation until the government falls in response to our one demand.”

As tensions escalate, with both the protesters and Hasina’s government entrenched in their positions, and opposition parties capitalizing on the unrest, the focus now turns to the military’s role in this crisis. Although security forces, including the army, were deployed during the July crackdown, the army’s chief, General Waker-uz-Zaman, convened a meeting with senior officers on Saturday to address concerns regarding the military’s stance and to reaffirm its neutrality in the unfolding crisis.

Following the meeting, the army issued a statement in which its chief emphasized, “The Bangladesh Army will always stand by the people in the interest of the public and in any need of the state.”