Tensions Flare in Bangladesh as Army Patrols Intensify in Response to Student-Led Protests
DHAKA, BANGLADESH – A surge in army patrols has awakened fresh unrest in Bangladesh, as the country’s military has stepped up its presence on the streets of Dhaka. The move is seen as a response to growing tensions between the military and the newly formed National Citizen Party (NCP), which accuses the army of political interference.
The escalating tensions were evident on Saturday, as thousands of protesters took to the streets, vowing to thwart a “military-backed plot” to rescue the deposed Awami League, which was toppled in a student-led uprising last year. A key NCP leader, Hasnat Abdullah, accused the military of “political interference” over a proposal that would allow Awami League to participate in the next elections. “Those who are supposed to discharge their work inside cantonment, should stay there… in the ‘post-revolutionary Bangladesh’, no interference in the political landscape from the cantonment will be accepted,” Abdullah said in a press briefing.
The protests, which were staged on the Dhaka University campus, gained momentum as hundreds of NCP activists chanted slogans against the army’s Chief General Waker Uz Zaman, demanding the hanged trial of deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her cohorts. While the military did not enter the campus, its intensified patrols, particularly in the capital, have become a matter of great concern. The site of hundreds of protesters, shouting “Waker or Hasnat; Hasnat, Hasnat” and calling for Hasina and her associates to be hanged after trial, adds to the escalating concerns.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh’s request for a meeting between Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the upcoming BIMSTEC Summit is under consideration, with India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar reportedly informing a parliamentary panel that the interim government has claimed the recent attacks on Hindus were “politically motivated” and not targeted at minorities. This stance has raised concerns among Indian lawmakers, who have called for clearer measures to address the issue.
Original Source: https://www.indiatodayne.in/international/story/bangladesh-sees-intensified-army-patrolling-talks-with-pm-modi-under-consideration-1187833-2025-03-23?utm_source=rssfeed
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Publish Date: 2025-03-23 10:28:00
