DHAKA, July 18: Over 160 people were arrested and curfew extended in Gopalganj, the home town of Bangladesh founder Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, as violence escalated in the city. Four people were killed in clashes over a National Citizen Party (NCP) rally, which turned into a virtual battlefield as supporters of Rahman’s daughter and deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina clashed with police. The Bangladesh Army used force in self-defense during the violence, while the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) statement said a group of people carried out “organised acts of violence” in Gopalganj Sadar.
The initial wave of violence left several police personnel and journalists injured, while government vehicles and public establishments were vandalized and set on fire. As the situation quickly escalated, both the Bangladesh Army and local police intervened and brought the situation under control. The curfew that was originally for 22 hours since Wednesday evening was extended till Saturday 6 am.
People reached over by phone reported a sense of fright gripping residents as authorities called out additional troops of paramilitary Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and Coast Guard to enforce a vigil throughout the district alongside army and riot police. The military, using megaphones, asked people to remain inside their homes as they patrolled in armoured personnel carriers (APCs) the streets in Gopalganj district headquarters and at the sub-districts’ headquarters.
The NCP is an offshoot of Students Against Discrimination (SAD) group leading the violent protests that toppled Hasina’s regime on August 5, 2024. On Wednesday, the NCP managed to proceed with the rally on the vandalised stage with broken sound systems, chaired by its convenor Nahid Islam in Gopalganj, which is a stronghold of Hasina’s Awami League.
Yunus’s office issued a strong statement calling the attempt to prevent the NCP rally “absolutely inexcusable” and promising that those responsible would be held accountable. The government has criticized attempts to obstruct young citizens from peacefully commemorating their movement, describing it as a “shameful violation” of their fundamental rights. (PTI)
