Death toll rises to 201 in Bangladesh student protests

DHAKA, Bangladesh

The death toll from student protests in Bangladesh rose to 201 Thursday with four more people dying in the capital Dhaka and the surrounding area as a crackdown intensified against opposition parties, according to officials and local media.

An ongoing curfew and military deployment that came into effect on Saturday continued, with a break from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Offices and industries resumed operations on Wednesday during the same break periods, according to a government announcement. ​​​​​​​

Earlier, Law Minister Anisul Haq said the curfew would be withdrawn gradually, observing the situation.

Inspector Bachchu Mia, who is in charge of the police outpost at Dhaka Medical College and Hospital (DMCH), confirmed to Anadolu three new deaths Wednesday night. More people are undergoing treatment at the hospital, he said.

One more person died in Savar on the outskirts of the capital on the same day.

With these four, the death toll rose to 201. Most of the victims succumbed to bullet wounds, the national newspaper Prothom Alo said Thursday.

Anjuman Mufidul Islam, a local welfare organization that provides burial services to Muslims, buried 21 bodies.

In the last three days, the police handed over the bodies of the 21 victims to the organization, including from DMCH during the protests, Kamrul Ahmed, an official of the organization, told Anadolu.

“We have buried the bodies. We did the job as routine work. Police kept the DNA samples and other details for future records and claims,” he added.

Bangladesh has witnessed unprecedented protests and violence since the first of this month over calls for reforms in the quota system for coveted public service jobs in the country, which students regard as deeply unfair.

Since July 16, protests have intensified after police and ruling party members, including its student wing the Bangladesh Students’ League, reportedly attacked students on university campuses across the country.

The government, however, issued a gazette reforming the quota system, cutting down the quota to 7% from 56% following the protests.

Protesting students, however, demanded that campuses reopen and bring normalcy to the country, and then they would determine the next course of action.

Police arrested around 4,500 people in the last eight days, including 1,400 on Wednesday. Many of the those arrested belong to the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, according to Prothom Alo.

On Wednesday, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan blamed opposition parties for the violence during the agitation for reform in the government jobs quota.

"We will identify them one by one with all of our strength. They will face legal consequences. We will not back down to ensure it," the minister said.