Bangladesh shuts internet as 90 killed in protests

After a fresh round of anti-government protests that left at least 90 people dead and hundreds more wounded, Bangladesh has mandated a second web blackout in three weeks.

Students have launched a campaign of civil disobedience in Dhaka and other cities to require resignation of prime minister Sheikh Hasina.

The government has announced a three-day holiday that has resulted in the closure of organizations and authorities in Dhaka, as well as the deployment of army devices and police throughout the city.

The scholar protests grew out of a call for civil service jobs to be abolished, leading to a wider anti-government activity. More than 280 people have been killed overall, the majority of them activists were shot by security forces.

When rioters attacked a police station in the Sirajganj city on Sunday, thirteen police officers were killed, according to the authorities.

Onlookers saw police shooting at anti-government activists with life weapons, along with some supporters of the ruling party. Additionally, officers used rubber bullets and tear oil.

According to reports, cellular operators were given instructions from the government to stop using their 4G services on Monday.

According to NetBlocks, a guardian that monitors internet independence, the nation is “again in the midst of a nearly total nationwide online closure following earlier social internet and mobile breaks.”

Authoritarian governments have a history of using digital shutdowns to censor the flow of information and censor dissident opinions. In 2023, there were 283 government-ordered online outages across 39 countries- up from 202 shutdowns in 2018- according to Access Then, a non-government entity that tracks online repression.

On 18 July, the Bangladeshi authorities had likewise switched off the government’s wireless internet in an attempt to quiet the protests. Mobile computer services were restored a week later, while wireless internet was resumed a week later.

But the protesters in Bangladesh have not been hampered by the web blackout or the endless nationwide curfew that was in place on Sunday.

Under the watchful eye of military personnel and police officials who have been stationed throughout the capital, thousands of protesters marched in Uttara, a district of Dhaka, on Monday, screaming and demanding Ms Hasina’s departure.

Amid calling for her departure, Ms Hasina sounded angry. She claimed that the demonstrators were” no students but terrorists who are out to destabilize the society” at a meeting with security officials on Monday.

On Sunday, Law and Justice Minister Anisul Huq told the BBC’s Newshour program that officials were showing “restraint”.

” If we had never shown caution, there would have been a disaster. I guess our tolerance has parameters”, he added.

Deaths and injuries have been reported across the country, including the northern regions of Bogra, Pabna and Rangpur.

There have been violent situations in different parts of the city and in a main plaza in Dhaka, where dozens of people have gathered.

” The entire area has turned into a battleground”, a officer, who asked not to be named, told the AFP media organization. He claimed that a large group of activists had reportedly set fire to motorcycles and automobiles outside of hospitals.

Asif Mahmud, a leading figure in the global civil disobedience plan, called on activists to move on Dhaka on Monday.

” The time has come for the ultimate protest”, he said.

Kids Against Discrimination, a team behind the anti-government presentations, urged people not to pay fees or any utility bills.

Additionally, the pupils demanded that all companies and modes of transportation be shut down.

In a significant assault by security forces in the last two weeks, apparently, around 10,000 people have been detained. Kids and followers of the opposition were among those detained.

Some ex-military personnel have expressed support for the learner action, including ex-army key General Karim Bhuiyan, who told journalists:” We call on the former government to remove the military forces from the street quickly.

He and another ex-military staff condemned” severe killings, abuse, disappearances and bulk arrests”.

Both camps believe that the upcoming days will be vital.

Ms. Hasina, who won a third consecutive term in January elections that the main antagonism boycotted, is in a crucial position due to the protests.

Students protested a limit that forbids relatives of Bangladesh’s independence-war veterans from working for Pakistan in 1971.

Following a Supreme Court ruling, the government has now reduced the limit, but individuals have been demonstrating and demanding justice for those who have been killed and injured. They are now demanding that Ms. Hasina resign.

Backers of Ms Hasina have ruled out her departure.

Earlier, Ms Hasina offered unconditional speech with the scholar leaders.

I want to talk to the agitated students of the action. I want no fight,” she said.

However, her offer was turned down by the scholar protesters.

Following the protests, many police stations and state buildings were set on fire, according to Ms. Hasina’s call to the defense last month.

The Bangladeshi military commander, Gen Waker-Uz-Zaman, held a conference with young officers in Dhaka to examine the security situation.

According to a release from the Inter Services Public Relation Directorate,” The Bangladesh army has always stood by the people and will continue to do so for the interests of the people and in any need of the state.”

According to Bangladeshi media, police fatally shot the majority of those killed in the protests last month. Thousands were injured.

According to the government, only in self-defense and to safeguard state property opened fire was used by police.

Additional reporting by Kelly Ng in Singapore