4 dead as police clash with Hasina supporters in Bangladesh
Dhaka
At least four people have been killed in clashes between security forces and supporters of Bangladesh's ousted former prime minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday, officials said.
The clashes began around midday and lasted for more than five hours in Gopalganj, Hasina's ancestral home town, as her supporters attempted to prevent a rally organized by the National Citizen Party (NCP), a newly formed political party led by students who spearheaded last year's uprising that ousted Hasina in August.
The scene is 100 kilometres south-west of the capital Dhaka. Abu Sayeed Faruk, the district's chief medical officer, told reporters that four people were killed and 13 others were wounded in the clashes.
In response to the violence, authorities imposed a 22-hour curfew in the district starting at 8 pm on Wednesday to prevent further unrest.
Witnesses said that a group of over 300 people attacked the stage set up in a local park for the NCP rally around noon. Police intervened, allowing NCP leaders, who had launched a month-long campaign to garner support on the first anniversary of the uprising, to proceed with the rally.
As the rally concluded, another group of protesters, allegedly affiliated with Hasina's Awami League party and its front organisations attempted to attack the NCP leaders' convoy as they were leaving, according to eyewitness accounts.
Police and armed forces members took the NCP leaders to safety, leading to clashes with the protesters.
Hasina has been exiled in India since she fled the country in the face of mass uprising on August 5, 2024.
Her Awami League party was banned by the interim administration of Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus in May this year.
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Al Jazeera
6 days ago
- Al Jazeera
Bangladesh braces for further unrest after four killed in clashes at rally
Authorities in Bangladesh have imposed heavy security measures to prevent a repeat of further political violence, after clashes between security forces and supporters of deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina left four people dead and more than 50 injured. Hundreds of police were deployed Thursday to the site of a planned rally in Faridpur by the National Citizen Party (NCP), a new political party formed by students who spearheaded the unrest that ousted longtime leader Hasina last year, local media reported. Their presence underlined the volatile political tensions that remain in the divided country nearly one year on from the mass protests that toppled Hasina from power. On Wednesday, an NCP rally in Gopalganj district, Hasina's ancestral home and a stronghold for her support base, erupted in violence when supporters of her Awami League party tried to disrupt the event. Four people were killed and more than 50 were injured in the violence, local media reported, citing police. Victims shot Footage from Gopalganj showed pro-Hasina activists armed with sticks setting upon police and lighting vehicles on fire as NCP leaders arrived in vehicles at the party's 'March to Rebuild the Nation' event commemorating the uprising against Hasina. More than 1,500 police, along with army and border guard personnel, were deployed to respond to the violence, the Dhaka Tribune reported, citing a police report. Armed personnel carriers were seen patrolling the streets as security forces responded to the unrest. The English-language Daily Star, citing Gopalganj civil surgeon Abu Sayeed Md Faruk, named the four dead as Dipto Saha, Ramzan Kazi, Sohel and Emon. The newspaper reported that hospital staff had said that eight others were being operated on for bullet wounds. Home Affairs adviser Jahangir Alam Chowdhury said that 10 police personnel were also injured in the violence, local media reported. He added that 25 people had been arrested over the unrest. The streets of Gopalganj were quiet on Thursday, with shops closed and few vehicles on the road, the Dhaka Tribune reported, as authorities imposed a curfew on the district in response to the violence. Divided nation The violence in Gopalganj has underlined the volatile divisions that remain in Bangladesh nearly a year after Hasina was forced to resign, fleeing to exile on a helicopter to India, as the interim government struggles to ensure security. Wednesday's clashes drew promises of a harsh response from the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus that has governed the country since Hasina's ouster last August. Yunus said in a statement Wednesday that the attempt by Hasina's supporters to disrupt the NCP rally was 'a shameful violation of their fundamental rights', and warned that the violence would 'not go unpunished'. The government said on Thursday that it had established a committee to investigate the violence, which would be chaired by Nasimul Ghani, senior secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs, and report its findings within two weeks. Blame traded Despite its promises to crack down on those responsible, Yunus's government has faced criticism for failing to deliver security in the divided country. Hasina's Awami League party, which authorities banned in May, posted a number of statements on social media platform X condemning the violence, including one saying that all the gunshot victims were supporters of the party. It blamed the interim government for the deaths and injuries. The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), one of two parties, alongside the Awami League, that have traditionally dominated Bangladeshi politics, also criticised the government on Thursday over the violence, saying it had failed to maintain law and order. Meanwhile, the right-wing Jamaat-e-Islami party condemned the attacks on the NCP and announced protests of its own. Earlier this month, Bangladesh's International Crimes Tribunal indicted Hasina and two senior officials over alleged crimes against humanity linked to a deadly crackdown on protesters during the uprising against her rule. In a separate, earlier ruling, Hasina – who lives in self-imposed exile in India – was sentenced in absentia to six months in prison for contempt of court by the tribunal.
Qatar Tribune
7 days ago
- Qatar Tribune
4 dead as police clash with Hasina supporters in Bangladesh
dpa Dhaka At least four people have been killed in clashes between security forces and supporters of Bangladesh's ousted former prime minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday, officials said. The clashes began around midday and lasted for more than five hours in Gopalganj, Hasina's ancestral home town, as her supporters attempted to prevent a rally organized by the National Citizen Party (NCP), a newly formed political party led by students who spearheaded last year's uprising that ousted Hasina in August. The scene is 100 kilometres south-west of the capital Dhaka. Abu Sayeed Faruk, the district's chief medical officer, told reporters that four people were killed and 13 others were wounded in the clashes. In response to the violence, authorities imposed a 22-hour curfew in the district starting at 8 pm on Wednesday to prevent further unrest. Witnesses said that a group of over 300 people attacked the stage set up in a local park for the NCP rally around noon. Police intervened, allowing NCP leaders, who had launched a month-long campaign to garner support on the first anniversary of the uprising, to proceed with the rally. As the rally concluded, another group of protesters, allegedly affiliated with Hasina's Awami League party and its front organisations attempted to attack the NCP leaders' convoy as they were leaving, according to eyewitness accounts. Police and armed forces members took the NCP leaders to safety, leading to clashes with the protesters. Hasina has been exiled in India since she fled the country in the face of mass uprising on August 5, 2024. Her Awami League party was banned by the interim administration of Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus in May this year.
Al Jazeera
16-07-2025
- Al Jazeera
Bangladesh police clash with pro-Hasina activists, at least three dead
Bangladeshi security forces clashed with supporters of deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, leaving at least three people dead and many injured. Violence broke out Wednesday in the southern town of Gopalganj when members of Hasina's Awami League tried to disrupt a rally by the National Citizens Party (NCP), which is made up of students who spearheaded the unrest that toppled the leader last year. TV footage showed pro-Hasina activists armed with sticks attacking police and setting vehicles on fire as NCP leaders arrived at the new party's 'March to Rebuild the Nation' programme commemorating the uprising. Monoj Baral, a nurse at the Gopalganj District Hospital, told the news agency AFP that three people were killed. Local media, including the English-language Daily Star, said that four had died. One of the dead was identified by Baral as Ramjan Sikdar. The other two were taken away from the hospital by their families, said Baral. Authorities imposed an overnight curfew in the district. Bangladesh's interim leader Muhammad Yunus, who replaced Hasina three days after her overthrow last year, said that the attempt by the former leader's supporters to foil the NCP rally was 'a shameful violation of their fundamental rights'. 'This heinous act … will not go unpunished,' said a statement from the Nobel Peace Prize laureate's office. Hasnat Abdullah, an NCP coordinator, said rally attendees took refuge at a police station after being attacked. 'We don't feel safe at all. They threatened to burn us alive,' he told AFP. New political force Bangladesh has been in political turmoil since Hasina was toppled nearly a year ago. Hasina, who fled to India following a student-led uprising last August, faces several charges. This month, she was sentenced in absentia to six months in prison for contempt of court by the country's International Crimes Tribunal (ICT). Gopalganj is a politically sensitive district because the mausoleum of Hasina's father, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, is located there. Rahman, the country's founding president, was buried there after he was assassinated along with most of his family members in a military coup in 1971. Hasina would go on to contest elections from the constituency. The NCP march was launched on July 1 across all districts in Bangladesh as part of its drive to position itself as a new force in Bangladeshi politics. The country's political landscape has been largely dominated by two dynastic families: Hasina's Awami League party and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia. Yunus has said an election will be held in April next year.
