At least 70 people were killed in clashes between security forces and protesters on Sunday in Bangladesh, as the country’s leaders imposed a new curfew and internet restrictions to try to quell a growing antigovernment movement.
The revival of student protests after a deadly government crackdown late last month, as well as a call by the governing party for its own supporters to take to the streets, has plunged the country of over 170 million into a particularly dangerous phase.
The exact number of deaths in the violence on Sunday was unclear, but it appeared to be the deadliest day since the protests began in July. A diplomatic official in Dhaka, the capital, said the toll across Bangladesh was at least 72, while tallies by local news media and the protest coordinators put the count at anywhere from 70 to 93. At least 13 of the dead were police officers, the country’s Police Headquarters said in a statement.
Sunday’s toll added to the more than 200 people killed in the crackdown on protesters last month by security forces under Bangladesh’s increasingly authoritarian leader, Sheikh Hasina. In a sign of the risk of further violence, the protest coordinators said they would march toward Ms. Hasina’s official residence on Monday. » | Saif Hasnat and Mujib Mashal | Saif Hasnat reported from Dhaka, Bangladesh, and Mujib Mashal from New Delhi. | Sunday, August 4, 2024
