Dhaka: Defending her decision to enforce a curfew with a shoot-on-sight order following violent clashes between the police and protesters in Bangladesh, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday said that the tough measures were taken to ensure the security of the lives and properties of the people.
Hasina’s comments came a day after Bangladesh’s Supreme Court scrapped most of the quotas on government jobs, meeting a key demand of protesters. The rallies have sparked one of the deadliest outbreaks of violence in the country for years.
Hasina, who is also the president of the ruling Awami League, also called upon the leaders and workers of her party and its associate bodies, the affluent section of the society and well-wishers to extend hands of cooperation to the country’s lower-income, poor and working-class people, state-run BSS news agency reported.
Bangladesh witnessed violent clashes between the police and mostly student protesters demanding an end to a controversial quota system that reserved 30 per cent of government jobs for relatives of veterans who fought in Bangladesh’s war of independence in 1971.
On Monday, the apex court slashed the veterans’ quota to just 5 per cent. Thus, 93 per cent of civil service jobs will be merit-based while the remaining 2 per cent reserved for members of ethnic minorities, transgender and physically challenged people.
The violence has reportedly killed more than 100 people, according to local newspapers. However, there are no official figures available for deaths.
The internet and mobile services were snapped following the country-wide violence.
In a statement, Hasina said the life and livelihood of the common people of the entire country have been paralysed due to the enforcement of the “complete shutdown” programme and recent incidents centring on the quota movement.
Besides, opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party-Jamaat-Shibir in an organised way set on fire and vandalised the metro-rail, expressway, BTV Bhaban, Setu Bhaban, disaster management building, different government and private buildings and houses, she added.
Hasina has blamed the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party and the Jamaat-e-Islami and their student wings for the violence.
“They destroyed numerous government-owned and private vehicles including buses and trucks by setting fire to these,” she said.
Hasina said that under the circumstances, the government imposed a curfew temporarily to “ensure the security of the lives and properties of the people and return the life and living to normalcy”.
As a result, normal income-generating activities of lower income and working people, particularly daily wage earners like rickshaw and van pullers, hawkers, vendors, day labourers and transport workers, have been hampered, resulting in putting them in untold suffering, she added.
She urged the leaders and workers of her party and its associate bodies from the centre to grassroots to stand by the affected people during this crisis period as they did so during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Meanwhile, Army chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman called on President Mohammed Shahabuddin at Bangabhaban and apprised him about the prevailing situation.
“During the meeting, the President was apprised of the country’s prevailing situation and their overall activities by the Army Chief,” President’s Press Secretary Md Joynal Abedin was quoted as saying.
The president said the arms forces have been playing an important role in protecting the country’s independence and sovereignty. He thanked the government for taking the timely decision of the army deployment to bring normalcy across the country. The overall situation of the country will be normal and run usual activities very soon, he hoped.
During the meeting, the Army chief said 27,000 army personnel have been deployed in 57 districts, including the capital city.
He said members of the Bangladesh Army are cooperating with the civil administration to maintain law and order in the country and to ensure the security of the lives and properties.
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