Even after Sheikh Hasina resigned from the post of Prime Minister and left the country, violence is not stopping in Bangladesh. Now the rioters are targeting minority Hindus, supporters of Sheikh Hasina and her party Awami League and their establishments. On Monday, rioters set fire to a hotel in Jessore, in which eight people were burnt to death and 84 others were injured.
The hotel where the fire broke out belongs to Awami League leader Shahin Chakladar. Chakladar is the Awami League general secretary of Jessore district. Deputy Commissioner Abrarul Islam confirmed the news of the fire. Two of the deceased have been identified as 20-year-old Chayan and 19-year-old Sejan Hussain. Harun-ya-Rashid, an employee of Jessore General Hospital, said that at least 84 people are being treated in the hospital, most of whom are students.
Hindus were targeted in 27 districts of Bangladesh
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Bangladesh’s leading newspaper Daily Star has reported that Hindus are being attacked in the country. Yesterday, Hindu houses and business establishments were attacked by mobs in at least 27 districts, while their valuables were also looted. The miscreants vandalized and looted the house of Pradip Chandra Roy, secretary of Puja Udjapan Parishad in Telipara village of Lalmonirhat. They also vandalized and looted a computer shop of Muhin Roy, a municipal member of the district’s Puja Udjapan Parishad, on Thana Road. Apart from this, the houses of four Hindu families were vandalized and looted in Chandrapur village of Kaliganj Upazila of the district.
Rioters attacked the jail and freed 500 prisoners
Miscreants raided the Sherpur district jail in Bangladesh and helped about 500 prisoners escape from the jail. On Monday, a local mob armed with sticks and weapons took out a procession amid curfew. During this, the mob attacked the district jail located in the Damdama-Kaliganj area of the city. The miscreants broke the jail gate and set it on fire.
Miscreants burnt down cricketer Mashrafe Murtaza’s house
The miscreants also vandalised and set fire to the residence of Awami League MP Kazi Nabil. The house of former Bangladesh cricket team captain Mashrafe Mortaza was also set on fire. Let us tell you that Mortaza is a leader of the Awami League. He contested the general elections held in January from Sheikh Hasina’s party and became a Member of Parliament. Thousands of people were seen celebrating the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at various places in the capital Dhaka. During the celebration, some people set fire to the Jabir Hotel in Chittamore area and vandalised its furniture. Apart from this, the District Awami League office and the houses of three more Awami League leaders in Sharsha and Benapole areas were attacked by miscreants.
98 protesters were killed in Bangladesh on August 4
On August 4, police used tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse a crowd of thousands of people demanding the resignation of PM Sheikh Hasina. At least 98 people were killed and hundreds injured in this use of force. The violence on August 4 is one of the deadliest days in the recent history of civil unrest in Bangladesh. Earlier on July 19, 67 people were killed when students protested against the quota system in government jobs.
Miscreants looted Bangladesh PM’s residence
Earlier on August 5, amid the deteriorating situation in Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina resigned from the post of Prime Minister and was forced to leave the country. At present, the army has taken over the rule in Bangladesh and the process of formation of the interim government is going on. Hasina reached Hindon Airbase in India by a special Air Force plane. She is staying in a safe house here. On August 5, a crowd of thousands of rioters attacked the Prime Minister’s residence of Bangladesh ‘Ganabhaban’ and looted it heavily.
Whatever they found in the PM’s residence, the rioters took it with them. Some were seen eating things in the kitchen, some were seen sleeping in the bedroom. Even the clothes of Sheikh Hasina and her daughter, including other items, were looted by the rioters. In the viral video on the internet, people were seen taking away sofas, goats, rabbits, fish, chairs, etc. from the Prime Minister’s residence. A similar situation was seen in Afghanistan, when the Taliban captured power. In Sri Lanka too, a year ago, protesters had entered the President’s residence.
Protest started against the controversial quota system
The protests, which began late last month after a high court order against the quota system, escalated dramatically when agitating students at the country’s largest Dhaka University clashed violently with police and pro-government protesters. The protests are rooted in the controversial quota system, which reserves up to 30 per cent of government jobs for family members of freedom fighters who fought in Bangladesh’s 1971 independence war against Pakistan. However, amid the agitation, the Supreme Court in a historic decision abolished this quota system and made 93 per cent recruitments on the basis of merit and limited the scope of reservation to just 7 per cent.