Bangladeshi PM urges swift end to road safety rallies
Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday urged students to go home after more than a week of protests in Dhaka over road safety.
Students in their tens of thousands have brought parts of the capital to a standstill since two teenagers were killed by a speeding bus.
The protests spread beyond the capital and authorities shut down internet services across large areas of the country.
In Jigatala, Dhaka, on Saturday, more than 100 people were injured as police fired rubber bullets at demonstrators.
A car carrying United States ambassador Marcia Bernicat was attacked by “armed men” but she and her team were unscathed, the US embassy said.
“As she was leaving about 11pm and getting into her car, a group attacked her car,” said rights activist Badiul Alam Majumdar, who was hosting a dinner for the ambassador.
The violence continued yesterday with police firing tear gas into a crowd marching towards an office of the ruling Awami League party.
Twelve people were treated at Dhaka Medical College Hospital, police inspector Bacchu Mia said.
It was claimed that dozens of protesters were attacked by ruling party activists, some with machetes, in the Dhanmondi neighbourhood but the Awami League denied its officials had beaten any students.
“We are deeply concerned about the reports of violence and call on all for calm,” said Mia Seppo, the UN resident co-ordinator in Bangladesh. “The concerns expressed by youth about road safety are legitimate and a solution is needed for a mega-city like Dhaka.”
Ms Hasina warned yesterday that a “third party” could sabotage the protests and put the
safety of demonstrators at risk.
“That’s why I request all guardians and parents to keep their children at home,” she said. “Whatever they have done is enough.”
Police denied firing rubber bullets or tear gas at protesters on Saturday. But hospital staff said dozens had injuries consistent with rubber bullets.
Bangladesh’s public transport is widely seen as corrupt, unregulated and dangerous. The teenagers’ deaths provoked widespread anger against the government.