Bangladesh Protesters Storm Prison As Police Fail To Quell Unrest
Date
7/19/2024 3:14:49 PM
(MENAFN- The Peninsula)
AFP
Dhaka: Bangladeshi student protesters stormed a prison and freed hundreds of inmates Friday as Police struggled to quell unrest, with huge rallies in the capital Dhaka despite a police ban on public gatherings.
This week's unrest has killed at least 75 people, according to an AFP count of victims reported by hospitals, and emerged as a momentous challenge to Prime Minister sheikh Hasina's autocratic government after 15 years in office.
Student protesters stormed a jail in the central Bangladeshi district of Narsingdi and freed the facility's inmates before setting the facility on fire, a police officer told AFP on condition of anonymity.
"I don't know the number of inmates, but it would be in the hundreds," he added.
Dhaka's police force took the drastic step of banning all public gatherings for the day -- a first since protests began -- in an effort to forestall another day of violence.
"We've banned all rallies, processions and public gatherings in Dhaka today," police chief Habibur Rahman told AFP, adding the move was necessary to ensure "public safety".
That did not stop another round of confrontations between police and protesters around the sprawling megacity of 20 million people, despite an internet shutdown aimed at frustrating the organisation of rallies.
"Our protest will continue," Sarwar Tushar, who joined a march in the capital and sustained minor injuries when it was violently dispersed by police, told AFP.
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