Bangladesh Police Clash with Opposition Supporters Demanding Prime Minister's Resignation

On Saturday, Bangladesh police fired rubber bullets and tear gas at opposition party supporters who threw stones and blocked major roads in the capital, Dhaka, demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Police and media reports stated that activists from the party set fire to buses and detonated molotov cocktails. Dhaka police spokesperson Faruq Ahmed said, "Our forces were attacked for no reason. They were just trying to manage traffic flow." He added, "We had to fire tear gas and rubber bullets to control the situation." The party claimed that dozens of its supporters were injured, while police noted that at least 20 of their personnel were injured in the clashes. Police reported that at least 90 people were arrested, while two senior leaders of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party were detained but released later. Senior party leader Abdul Moyeen Khan condemned the police's actions as "oppressive." Khan told Reuters, "Today's violent actions only confirmed the authoritarian nature of the ruling regime and fully revealed their motives to stay in power through rigged elections." He added that more than 100 protesters were arrested and many faced severe beatings as police sought to confiscate the "genuine right to assemble." The main opposition party had organized larger protest marches in recent months, including on Friday, attracting tens of thousands of supporters amid anger over living costs. The opposition party has been in turmoil since its leader, Khaleda Zia, was jailed in 2018 on charges related to financial corruption. The Bangladesh Nationalist Party demands that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resign and that the upcoming elections, scheduled for January 2024, be held under the supervision of a neutral caretaker government, a demand the Hasina administration rejects.