Death toll tops 210 as more protesters die from injuries in Bangladesh

By SM Najmus Sakib

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AA) – As the curfew eases gradually in Bangladesh, more protesters died from bullet wounds in the capital Dhaka, bringing the total number of deaths from anti-job quota student protests to 211, according to officials and local media.

While contacted by Anadolu over phone, hospital authorities, including Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) and a police post of the hospital dedicated to providing information, declined to provide the latest information.

However, local English newspaper New Age reported on Saturday that two more critically injured people died early Saturday while undergoing treatment at the DMCH, taking the death toll from the recent violence during student protests to at least 211 across the country.

More than 1,600 injured people received treatment at the hospital, said the newspaper.

Meanwhile, the government announced to continue the military curfew on Saturday for a straight eighth day, saying that it would be continued until the situation is improved.

The curfew, however, keeps a break of nine hours starting from 8:00 a.m.

Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan on late Friday night told reporters in a briefing in Dhaka that the law enforcement agencies were assessing the situation to determine when the curfew could be withdrawn.

Though no untoward incident was reported anywhere on Saturday, soldiers were seen patrolling in the capital Dhaka.

Offices and industries started opening last Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Saturday visited some hospitals in Dhaka to enquire after the injured people. Later, she also visited damaged government establishments that came under attack during the protests.

She blamed the miscreants and opposition parties for the violence to cripple the economy and stop the development journey of the country.

Over 6,200 people have been arrested in 555 cases in the last 10 days from July 17 to 26, according to a report by Prothom Alo newspaper on Saturday. Most of them are from the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami parties and students, it said.

The students’ protests that called for reforms to the government job quota system forced the government to reduce the quota from 56% to 7%, including 5% for progeny of war veterans, after the country’s top court issued a ruling last Sunday.

Junior Minister for Post, Telecommunication and Information Technology Zunaid Ahmed Palak at an event in Dhaka on Saturday said that a decision will be made to restore mobile internet after a meeting with mobile phone operators on Sunday.

He also hoped that the mobile 4G network will be restored on Sunday or Monday.

The minister earlier had said they shut down internet on July 19 to stop disinformation during the violent protests.

However, later he claimed that the government data center was damaged during the protests which cut the internet.

Public Administration Minister Farhad Hossain on Saturday said that the offices will be open for six hours from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. from Sunday to Tuesday in view of the situation caused by the quota reform movement.

Last week, offices were opened for two days (Wednesday and Thursday) for four hours.