Clashes erupted in Bangladesh’s Gopalganj, leaving at least four people dead and dozens injured. The clashes were between supporters of former Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina, and Bangladeshi security personnel. About 100 people have been detained over the violence that took place on Wednesday. Gopalganj is under an indefinite curfew.
The clashes were sparked by a political rally on July 16. The rally was organised by Bangladesh's National Citizen Party. The NCP was founded this February, by Bangladeshi students who led the charge to oust Sheikh Hasina in August 2024.
The leader of the National Citizen Party, and face of last year’s protests, Nahid Islam, spoke at the rally. He spoke against the veneration of the founder of Bangladesh, former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s father, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
Gopalganj is Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s ancestral hometown, and the site of his grave. Unsurprisingly, Gopalganj is a stronghold for the Awami League, Sheikh Hasina’s political party.
Awami League members were opposed to the NCP rally taking place in Gopalganj. Some reportedly set fire to a police vehicle on the outskirts of town on Wednesday morning. The rally venue was vandalised before the NCP speakers arrived. Equipment was destroyed, NCP activists were attacked, and homemade explosives were thrown around.
The attackers were driven off before the rally began. The event took place amid signs of destruction. But once the rally ended, the attackers returned. They set fire to the stage and chairs from the venue were destroyed and strewn about.
The police tried to stop them, but failed to get the situation under control. That’s when the Bangladeshi armed forces were brought in. At least 4 people were killed in the subsequent crackdown.
Awami League social media handles and members have been sharing photos and videos from the clashes. The Awami League says that they are proof of the army’s excesses. They blame the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government for the breakdown in law and order.
Yunus has called the violence in Gopalganj “utterly indefensible”. But he has laid the blame on the Awami League. Yunus says their “heinous act” “will not go unpunished”. Yunus is facing pressure from supporters of the National Citizen Party. They have threatened to blockade all of Bangladesh, unless the Gopalganj attackers are rounded up.
A curfew has been imposed in Gopalganj. Security forces are rounding up suspects. They’ve detained at least 100 people so far. Will the Yunus government’s actions help stem further violence? Or are they just adding more fuel to the flames.
