At least 77 people killed in Bangladesh in clashes between protesters and government supporters
It is a particularly deadly day for Bangladesh, more than a month after the first protests. Clashes between demonstrators demanding the resignation of Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and supporters of the ruling Awami League party left at least 77 dead on Sunday, August 4, according to a new report from police and hospitals. Among the dead are at least 14 police officers, according to police spokesman Kamrul Ahsan. The rival camps clashed with sticks and knives, and the security forces fired live ammunition.
Police said protesters stormed a police station in the northeastern town of Enayetpur. “Terrorists attacked the police station and killed 11 policemen”said Bijoy Basak, deputy inspector general. Police and hospitals said at least 12 people were killed in the capital, several of them by gunfire, while 18 others lost their lives in the northern district of Sirajganj. Faced with these clashes in several cities, particularly in Dhaka, the capital of 20 million inhabitants, a former army chief called for the withdrawal of troops from the streets.
The social crisis, largely peaceful at the start, turned into a political crisis from July 16, when the repression caused its first deaths. The demonstrators then demanded the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, 76, in power since 2009 and re-elected in January after an election without real opposition. To restore order, her government notably deployed the army, cut off access to the internet and imposed a curfew. At least 206 people have been killed since the start of the protests in July, most of them victims of gunfire by the security forces, according to a report established by AFP based on police and hospital data.
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