Bangladesh: Police end nearly week-long strike in capital

Bangladeshi police resumed patrols in Dhaka on Monday, ending nearly a week of strikes that began a day after the military seized control of the country and former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina fled abroad.

The police had disappeared from the streets of the megacity of 20 million people after the forced resignation of Mrs Hasina after 15 years in power.

The police are criticized for the deadly repression of anti-government protests, during which more than 450 people were killed, including 42 officers.

The police agreed to resume work after nightly talks with the new interim government, led by Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus.

A police officer regulates traffic in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on August 12, 2024 © AFP – LUIS TATO

“It's good to be back,” said police officer Snehasish Das, who was in charge of traffic at a busy intersection. “As we feel safe, we have resumed duty.”

The protests, led by students against the Hasina government, were largely peaceful before the police turned violent.

Bangladesh is experiencing a “student-led revolution,” Muhammad Yunus told reporters.

Mr. Yunus, 84, returned from Europe on Thursday at the request of student leaders to succeed Sheikh Hasina, 76, who fled by helicopter to India a week ago before protesters stormed her official residence in Dhaka.

The government of the ousted leader is accused of numerous human rights violations, including the extrajudicial executions of thousands of political opponents.

Muhammad Yunus (c), new head of the interim government, on August 9, 2024 in Dhaka, Bangladesh © AFP – Indranil MUKHERJEE

“I told (the student leaders), 'I respect you, I admire you. What you have done is absolutely unprecedented,'” Yunus said Sunday night during a briefing at the temporary government headquarters.

He also told the students: “Since you have ordered me to do this, then I am following your order,” he said.

Several senior allies of Hasina, including the chief justice and the central bank governor, have resigned after an ultimatum to do so by the students. “Legally (…) all the steps have been followed,” the economist said.

– “Hateful attacks” –

200% Deposit Bonus up to €3,000 180% First Deposit Bonus up to $20,000

Some 450 of the country's 600 police stations have been set on fire or vandalized in the past month, according to the national police union.

Soldiers in front of a police station in Dhaka, on August 9, 2024 in Bangladesh © AFP – LUIS TATO

Several had reopened at the end of last week under the protection of the army, an institution held in the highest esteem for having generally refused to participate in the repression.

In the absence of police, students volunteered to restore order, after looting and reprisals following Ms Hasina's flight targeted Hindus and other minorities.

In its first official statement Sunday evening, Mr Yunus' government expressed “great concern”, promising to work to “put an end to these hateful attacks”.

Hindus, the largest religious minority (8% of the population) in this country of 170 million people who are predominantly Muslim, are considered a staunch supporter of Ms Hasina's Awami League party, and have regularly been targeted by violence during periods of unrest.

Political leaflets showing ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, spread on the ground in the vandalized headquarters of the Awami League, Ms. Hasina's party, on August 10, 2024 in Dhaka © AFP – LUIS TATO

Hundreds of them have arrived at the border with India since last week, demanding to be allowed to enter the country.

Jamaat, Bangladesh's largest Islamist party, said it would meet with Hindu and other minority leaders on Monday to defuse tensions.

Home Minister Sakhawat Hossain said he had no intention of banning the Awami League, which played a crucial role in Bangladesh's independence.

Students sit in front of a graffiti-covered wall denouncing political and police violence, August 11, 2024 in Dhaka, Bangladesh © AFP – LUIS TATO

“The party has made many contributions to Bangladesh, we do not deny it,” the minister explained. “When the (next) elections are held, (Awani League candidates) will be able to run for office.”

M. Yunus has agreed to take over the interim government as a “senior advisor” pending “free elections” that he wants to hold “within months.”

He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006 for his pioneering work in microfinance, which has helped millions of Bangladeshis escape poverty.

All reproduction and representation rights reserved. © (2024) Agence France-Presse