Violent clashes between protestors and the ruling Awami League supporters in Bangladesh on Sunday left 91 people dead and hundreds injured on the first day of a non-cooperation movement announced by the students' movement demanding Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's resignation. The clashes broke out this morning when protesters attending a non-cooperation programme to demand the government's resignation faced opposition from the supporters of the Awami League, Chhatra League, and Jubo League activists.
“So far, 32 people have been killed in clashes in 13 districts across Bangladesh,” Prothom Alo newspaper reported. Giving details, the paper said at least five people were killed in Feni, four in Sirajganj, three in Munshiganj, three in Bogura, three in Magura, three in Bhola, three in Rangpur, two in Pabna, two in Sylhet, one in Comilla, one in Joypurhat, one in Dhaka and one in Barisal.
The Home Ministry decided to impose an indefinite countrywide curfew from 6 pm on Sunday. A government agency has ordered the shutdown of Meta platforms Facebook, Messenger, WhatsApp and Instagram. The mobile operators were ordered to shut down 4G mobile internet, the paper added. The platform Students Against Discrimination has called for an all-out non-cooperation movement from today with the one-point demand of the government's resignation.
Meanwhile, the Assistant High Commission of India in Sylhet has advised Indian nationals to remain alert. Indians have also been advised to contact the helpline number +88-01313076402 in case of emergencies. In a tweet, it said, "All Indian nationals including students living in the jurisdiction of Assistant High Commission of India , Sylhet are requested to be in touch with this office & are advised to remain alert."
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Hasina said that those engaging in sabotage across Bangladesh in the name of protest are not students but terrorists and asked people to suppress them with a firm hand. Hasina called a meeting of the National Committee on Security Affairs at Ganabhaban, the paper reported citing sources from the Prime Minister's Office (PMO).
The fresh round of clashes erupted days after over 200 people were killed in violent clashes between the police and mostly student protesters demanding an end to the controversial quota system that reserved 30 per cent of government jobs for relatives of veterans who fought in Bangladesh's War of Independence in 1971.
