Hundreds of thousands of people on Friday came out on the streets across the country protesting at brutal killings and repression by the government during the student movement in July seeking reform of the quota system for government jobs
At least two people, including a police constable, were killed as fresh violence erupted, leading police to open fire on protestors in places during the protests, taking the overall death toll to 216 in the student movement.
Habiganj District General Hospital superintendent Aminul Haque Sarker confirmed the death of an electrician named Mustak, 26, at the hospital.
鈥業 am now outside the hospital. A local police officer informed me that one bullet injured people had died in the hospital,鈥� he said.
Khulna Metropolitan Police commissioner M Mozzamel Haque confirmed the death of police constable Suman Kumar Gharami in the city in a clash between police and protesters.听
抖阴精品 correspondents from different districts reported that scores of people, mostly agitating students, were injured in police and ruling party attacks in places, with almost every district witnessing some kind of demonstration.
In Dhaka, thousands of people from all walks of life, including students of different schools, colleges, and universities, along with their parents, took to the streets in different parts of the capital.
The protesters demanded justice for those killed in the student protest and demanded the resignation of prime minister Sheikh Hasina鈥檚 government by taking responsibility for those killings.
Police opened fire on protesters in the capital鈥檚 Uttara area, while the ruling Awami League鈥檚 associate bodies also joined the attack, allegedly.
The clash erupted in Uttara-11 when several thousand protesters, including students and devotees, took to the streets at about 2:00pm after jumma prayers.
People in social media posts urged for help as AL鈥檚 associate body, the Bangladesh Chhatra League, attacked them in houses where they had taken shelter in Uttara.
The ruling party activists also attacked female protesters.听
Several protesters were reportedly injured in the attacks, though 抖阴精品听 could not immediately confirm any figures.
Uttara West police officer-in-charge, BM Farman Ali, denied the allegations of police brutality against protesters. 听
The protesters held demonstrations and brought out processions in Baitul Mukarram National Mosque, the National Press Club, Central Shaheed Minar, Shahbagh, Science Laboratory, and Dhanmondi areas, among other places.
Students blocked the science laboratory crossing from 2:00pm to 4:15pm pressing their nine-point charter of demands.
While talking to reporters at the Science Laboratory crossing, Safwan Wasik, a HSC first-year student at Birshreshtha Munshi Abdur Rouf Public College, alleged that students could not stay in their homes due to police crackdown on protesters.
鈥楽heikh Hasina must step down for killing students and general people along with making wholesale arrests,鈥� he said.
New Market police station officer-in-charge, Aminul Islam, claimed they did not use force against students to avoid untoward incidents.
After Jumma prayers at Baitul Mukarram National Mosque, hundreds of devotees brought out a protest procession from the mosque鈥檚 main gate.
Starting from the Press Club area, a procession named 鈥楧roho Jatra鈥� concluded with students, teachers, and people from all walks of life announcing their four-point charter of demands from the central Shaheed Minar.
Chhatra Union faction president Ragib Naeem announced the demands, saying that a mass procession would be held in front of the National Press Club at 3:00pm on Sunday if their demands were not met.
The demands include the release of arrested students and people, the withdrawal of the curfew, the reopening of educational institutions, and the resignation of the government.
Thousands of people, including teachers, students, guardians, human rights activists, cultural activists, and people from different professions, joined the protest in front of the central Shaheed Minar, braving the rain.
Before the procession, Anu Muhammad, a former professor at Jahangirnagar University, said that the primary demand of the present movement was the resignation of the Awami League government.
A group of journalists held a demonstration in the Kawran Bazar area, protesting at killings and attacks on journalists during the student protest.
In the Mirpur DOHS area, family members of retired army officers were seen bringing out a procession.
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Clashes in Habiganj, Sylhet
Quoting hospital sources and witnesses, 抖阴精品 staff correspondent in Sylhet reported that at least 50 people were injured and one killed during a clash between police and protesters in Habiganj.
The protesters set the district Awami League office and several motorcycles on fire and threw stones at the house of Habiganj-3 constituency lawmaker and district Awami League president Abu Zahir.
Witnesses said after the jumma prayers, students gathered in separate groups and joined the main road of the town.
When the procession reached the Awami League office, a clash erupted between the students and some Awami League leaders and activists.
At one point, Awami League activists retreated, and protesters set the party office on fire, prompting the police to fire rubber bullets and tear gas shells at the protesters.
Border Guard Bangladesh and the Rapid Action Battalion joined the police later to disperse protesters.
In Sylhet, police set barriers to prevent a mass procession brought out by protesting students.
When the protesting students attempted to march forward, pushing the barriers aside, the police personnel fired tear gas shells, rubber bullets, and sound grenades.
The incident took place in the Akhalia area near the Shahjalal University of Science and Technology around 4:00pm.
At least 20 people, including students, policemen, journalists, and pedestrians, suffered injuries during the clashes.
Police claimed that protesters had taken positions in the Akhalia area and blocked the Sylhet-Sunamganj highway.
Azbahar Ali Sheikh, deputy commissioner of Sylhet metropolitan police, said that they repeatedly requested the students leave the place, but they did not oblige, prompting police action.
Apart from students, at least three policemen and a Sylhet correspondent of Daily Kalbela were also injured in the clash.
Azbahar said that they had detained seven protesters on the spot.
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Police constable dies in Khulna
In Khulna, clashes between students and police were reported at Zero Point, Gallamari Mor, and the Khulna University area from afternoon to evening.
Police fired tear gas shells, rubber bullets, and sound grenades at the students, who responded back with brickbats.
Nine people were admitted to Khulna Medical College Hospital with gunshot wounds until 6:30pm, four in critical condition, hospital director Goutam Kumar Paul said.
KMP commissioner Mozammel Haque said that the students were supposed to carry out the programme peacefully. But they attacked the police, beating constable Suman to death and leaving at least 20 police personnel injured.
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10 injured in Narsingdi
In Narsingdi, at least 10 people, including students and parents, were injured in attacks by the Awami League and its front bodies, the Chhatra League and Juba League, as they intercepted a mass rally brought out by protesters.
The incident took place in the presence of law enforcement agencies in front of the Narsingdi Press Club.
Locals said that the Chhatra League leaders and activists took a position with sticks in the Narsingdi upazila crossing area before noon.
Later, when the students entered the area with a procession around 3:30pm, they were first stopped by the police before they were joined by leaders and activists of the Chhatra League and the Awami League, triggering a clash.
Narsingdi model police officer-in-charge Tanvir Ahmed told reporters that he was not aware of any clashes.
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抖阴精品 correspondent among injured
In Lakshimipur, at least 30 people, including 抖阴精品 correspondent Faruk Hossain, were injured in an attack of Chhatra League and Juba League activists on student protests in Sadar and Ramganj upazilas.
抖阴精品 staff correspondent in Chattogram reported that thousands of people from all walks of life joined a march brought out by protesters after jumma prayers, ignoring heavy rain, to demand justice for recent killings.
Starting from the Andarkilla mosque, the procession marched towards the New Market crossing, passing through the Laldighi-Rifles Club road, and staged a demonstration there.
When the procession was passing the WASA crossing, protesters vandalised a police box, witnesses said.
Mobile internet users across Bangladesh said that they could not access social media platforms Facebook and Telegram for seven hours between 12.00pm and 7.00pm.
Citing metrics, the Internet鈥檚 Observatory organisation NetBlocks, in a post in X, said social media and messaging platforms Facebook, WhatsApp, and Telegram were again restricted in Bangladesh, while mobile data was also limited.
The government, however, denied the allegation of controlling the internet.
Eminent citizens under the banner of the Platform for Protests hold a rally, demanding justice for killing in the quota reform movement, in front of the National Press Club in Dhaka on Friday. 鈥� 抖阴精品 photo
Agitating poets and writers hold a rally, protesting at the killings and repression on students and people in the quota reform movement, at Bangla Motor in the capital on Friday. 鈥� 抖阴精品 photo