More than 20 killed as Bangladesh protesters renew call for Hasina to quit

DHAKA: More than 20 people have been killed and dozens more injured in a new round of violence in Bangladesh as police fired tear gas and lobbed stun grenades to disperse tens of thousands of protesters who returned to the streets to ask Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to resign.

The deaths were reported by the police and doctors on Sunday in the capital Dhaka and in the northern districts of Bogura, Pabna and Rangpur, as well as in Magura in the west, Comilla in the east, and Barisal and Feni in the south.

The government has announced that a curfew will be imposed in the coming hour while a communication blackout has already been put in place.

The demonstrators were demanding Hasina’s resignation after earlier protests in July that began with students calling for an end to a quota system for government jobs escalated into violence that left more than 200 people dead.

Al Jazeera’s Tanvir Chowdry, reporting from the capital, described the situation as “volatile and dangerous”. “The protesters are saying that they are not going to move, until their government steps down,” he said.

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“People are extremely worried what’s going to happen,” Chowdry said, adding that the crowd of protesters is growing. He also reported clashes between the protesters and supporters of the ruling Awami League party.

Protesters called for “non-cooperation,” urging people not to pay taxes and utility bills and not show up for work on Sunday, a working day in Bangladesh. Offices, banks and factories opened, but commuters in Dhaka and other cities faced challenges getting to work.