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Bangladesh imposes indefinite curfew, cuts internet as fresh protests rock Dhaka

DHAKA: Bangladesh's army was deployed on the streets to impose an indefinite nationwide curfew on Sunday as protesters clashed with authorities amid a new wave of demonstrations demanding the prime minister's resignation, which comes weeks after the deadly crackdown.

Thousands of Bangladeshi protesters took to the streets of Dhaka on Saturday and Sunday as student leaders launched a nationwide campaign of civil disobedience demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

The new protests came after earlier demonstrations in July, which began with students demanding an end to the quota system for government jobs, turned violent.

These nationwide campus rallies were attacked by pro-government groups, leading to clashes with security forces, a week-long communications blackout, curfews, and more than 200 deaths.

After protesters returned to the streets in their largest numbers yet, Bangladesh's home ministry announced an indefinite nationwide curfew would begin at 6pm on Sunday, while internet services would be shut down again.

More than 50 people were killed and many injured in a fresh round of clashes, according to the country's leading Bengali newspaper Prothom Alo, as police used tear gas and stun grenades to disperse tens of thousands of protesters.

Students Against Discrimination, one of the main groups behind the initial protests, called on “students from all over the country to travel to Dhaka” on Monday.

“The time has come for us to sign this uprising of student citizens. Come to Dhaka to be a part of history,” group coordinator Asif Mahmud said in a statement issued after the curfew was announced.

“Students will create a new Bangladesh.”

While the Supreme Court eventually struck down most of the quotas for opening civil service jobs to candidates based on merit, the government's response to last month's demonstrations and the arrest of thousands of people has turned student-led protests into a public movement and other groups that have joined in recent days, including teachers and TV stars.

“The current situation can best be described as a massive popular uprising. He enjoys the support of the entire nation, except for a few beneficiaries of the regime,” Salimullah Khan, a political analyst and professor at the University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh, told Arab News.

“Repressive measures are solely responsible for these mass murders and crimes against humanity. The real conclusion is an immediate exit from the regime. Hesitating will only cost more lives.”

The protests have become a major challenge for Hasina, who returned to power for a fourth consecutive term in January in an election boycotted by her main opponents, including the Bangladesh Nationalist Party.

“The BNP definitely supports the demands and commitments of the students and stands unwaveringly behind them,” Mohammed Nawshad Zamir, the international secretary of the BNP, told Arab News.

“That is why we must persist in our street demonstrations until the illegitimate regime of Sheikh Hasina is overthrown and a national consensus government is established.”

Hasina's party, the ruling Awami League, said the student-led movement had been “politicised”.

Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury, an Awami League MP, told Arab News: “It is a conspiracy to destroy the country. In the current situation, this has now been confirmed.

“Our law enforcement officers continue to show maximum tolerance towards protesters. But they have to understand, that doesn't mean we're weak.”

Still, efforts to suppress the civil movement in Bangladesh, which included “random and disproportionate use of force by law enforcement agencies,” were “unprecedented” in scale, Dr. Iftekharuzzaman, Executive Director of Transparency International Bangladesh.

“It's quite ominous. Unfortunately, we see that there is no way out of this situation and no light at the end of the tunnel as the use of force to manage the crisis continues,” he told Arab News.

“The authorities ignored the strength of the student movement and on the other hand the authorities considered themselves invincible… They failed to realize that the student movement here is invincible in the history of Bangladesh.”

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