NEW DELHI: A Hindu councillor Kajal Roy from Rangpur, was among the 100 people killed in the violent protests across Bangladesh on Sunday. Reports indicate that houses and temples belonging to Hindus, including ISKCON and Kali temples, were targeted, forcing devotees to seek shelter.
Thousands of Bangladeshi protesters demanding Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resign clashed with government supporters Sunday in one of the deadliest days since demonstrations began.
A curfew has been in effect since 6 pm on Sunday and will continue. A three-day closure of all establishments, including banks, has been announced by the government. However, essential services such as hospitals, water, gas, and electricity will continue uninterrupted indefinitely.
The chief of army has assured that normalcy would be restored within two days. The army was mostly seen firing blank shots in the sky to disperse crowds, as they had vowed on Saturday not to fire any bullets. The army did not fire at the protesters but did discharge blank shots into the air to disperse Chhatra League members in Cumilla.
“It was a 'Bloody Sunday' today. Miscreants have turned the violence communal. Social media like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube have been blocked,” Professor Nazmul Ahsan Kalimullah, a political commentator from Bangladesh, told this newspaper.
PM Hasina has issued a stern warning for protesters who don’t seem to comply. Incidentally, Hasina’s cousin, Sheikh Sohel, had his house set ablaze by protesters. Additionally, a statue of Sheikh Mujibur Rehman was vandalised by an angry mob in Rajbari district. The office of Beximco House, a major pharmaceutical company, was also gutted.
"These kinds of protests are unprecedented in Dhaka; the opposition party is possibly being supported by a big power away from the subcontinent who was always against the present government. There are many types of narratives that are floating, but what one does need to factor in is that the government will, on its own, not want the turmoil to continue as it goes against them. Times are uncertain, and one can only hope that peace prevails,” said a source from Bangladesh.
Meanwhile, student leaders are urging students from across the country to march to Dhaka on Monday, a day earlier than originally scheduled.
"We would want the students to carve out a future for Bangladesh, revolution has already begun," Pinaki Bhattacharya, an exiled Bangladeshi activist, told this newspaper.