In central Dhaka, Bangladesh, a massive protest against Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resulted in police using tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse the opposition supporters, leading to violent clashes lasting for several hours. The demonstration saw over 100,000 followers of two major opposition parties gathering to demand Prime Minister Hasina's resignation, with the aim of allowing a free and impartial election to take place under the supervision of a neutral government.
A verified Facebook page of the main opposition party, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), live-streamed the event, capturing thousands of people scrambling for safety as sound grenades detonated in succession, accompanied by plumes of black smoke rising from the streets. According to AFP correspondents, the confrontations escalated into the city's central roads and alleyways, where police used tear gas and rubber bullets while protesters responded by hurling stones and bricks.
Tragically, one police officer was killed, and over 100 individuals sustained injuries, with Faruk Hossain, the Dhaka Metropolitan Police spokesperson, reporting that "the constable was hacked in the head by opposition activists."
These protests, led by the BNP and the largest Islamist party, Jamaat-e-Islami, represent the largest demonstrations in the country this year, signaling a new phase in their campaign, given the forthcoming general election in three months. Prime Minister Hasina, in power for 15 years, has presided over rapid economic growth in Bangladesh, surpassing neighboring India in GDP per capita. However, her government faces allegations of corruption and human rights violations, coupled with rising inflation.
More than 20 individuals were rushed to Dhaka Medical College Hospital, the nation's largest, with injuries caused by rubber bullets. The clashes began in front of the city's largest Catholic church, where boisterous opposition supporters engaged in confrontations with sticks and allegedly set a bus and a police post on fire.
The BNP has called for a nationwide strike in protest against the violence. Party spokesperson Zahir Uddin Swapan stated, "Police and armed ruling party cadres attacked our peaceful rally."
While the opposition has intensified its protests in recent months, Khaleda Zia, the ailing leader of the BNP and a two-time former prime minister, remains effectively under house arrest following her conviction on corruption charges. Although hundreds of opposition activists were detained in the days leading up to the rally, supporters flooded into Dhaka on Saturday, arriving in crowded buses and even on top of packed trains.
The crowd chanted, "Vote thief, vote thief, Sheikh Hasina vote thief," in front of the BNP headquarters. Student activist Sekandar Badsha, 24, from Chittagong, demanded the immediate resignation of the Hasina government, the release of Khaleda Zia, and the restoration of people's voting rights.
Officials reported the deployment of at least 10,000 police officers. The Dhaka Metropolitan Police spokesman, Hossain, stated that more than 100,000 people participated in the BNP rally, with up to 25,000 attending the Jamaat protest near the city's main commercial district, which had been banned by the police.
BNP spokesman Swapan described the event as the "final call" for Prime Minister Hasina to step down. If she does not voluntarily resign (widely seen as unlikely), the party has threatened to launch more aggressive protests, including strikes and blockades.
Western governments have voiced concerns about the political climate in Bangladesh, where the ruling Awami League, led by Prime Minister Hasina, dominates the legislature and controls it largely as a rubber stamp. Her security forces have been accused of detaining tens of thousands of opposition activists, allegedly killing hundreds in extrajudicial encounters, and causing the disappearance of numerous leaders and supporters.
