12 dead, hundreds injured as protests rage on

Twelve people were killed in daylong clashes between quota reform activists and police and RAB during the ‘complete shutdown’ enforced by the protesters in Dhaka and elsewhere on Thursday.

with the figure, the death toll in the latest student uprising rose to 21. 

Riot police again fired tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse crowds of protesters throughout the day as the government ordered the shutdown of mobile internet networks to quell demonstrations.

Fresh clashes broke out in several cities across Bangladesh throughout the day as riot police marched on protesters, who began another round of human blockades on roads and highways.

Police injured dozens of students by firing rubber bullets and tear gas canisters at a crowd of more than 1,000 people gathered at Bangladesh's top private university in Dhaka.

Helicopters rescued 60 police officers who were trapped on the roof of a campus building at Canadian University, the scene of some of the capital's fiercest clashes on Thursday, the elite Rapid Action Battalion police force said in a statement.

Two students were killed in a clash between police and RAB in Uttara. Professor Sabbir Ahmed, principal of Uttara Modern Medical College, told Jago News, "One of the victims was brought to the hospital around 12 noon. I only know this. But I can't say where he studied." He added that the victim was brought in dead, but the students who accompanied him took him to Dhaka Medical College Hospital. Ahmed also mentioned that hundreds of students received treatment in the emergency department.

Uttara Crescent Hospital reported treating hundreds of injured students. Orthopedic specialist Mahmudul Hasan confirmed that one person was killed, though his identity is unknown.

Bodies of four more people are kept at Bangladesh-Kuwait Friendship Hospital in Uttara.

The hospital director Mizanur Rahman two of the four are students and could not provide any details.

He said all of them were brought dead.

Clashes began in front of BRAC University in the morning, injuring hundreds of students. BRAC University driver Dulal Matbar died in police firing. His son Sohag told Jago News that Dulal was taken to Faraji Hospital in Banasrhi area after being seriously injured in the police firing, where he subsequently died.

At the same location Zillur Rahman, a class XI student of Dhaka Imperial College, also died, said Arif Ahmed, principal of Dhaka Imperial College. 

Dhaka Residential Model College student Farhan Faiyaz died in a clash with protesters and Juba League in Dhanmondi. He was pronounced dead at City Hospital. The hospital’s manager Osman Gani told reporters that Farhan was brought dead there. He also said the hospital treated more than 200 people who sustained injuries in violence.

Reports from Savar said Shaikh Ashabul Yamin, a student of Military Institute of Science and Technology (MIST) in Mirpur, died in a clash between quota protesters and police and activists of Awami League at Savar Bazar.

Yusuf Ali, duty manager of Enam Medical College Hospital in Savar, told reporters that Yamin was brought dead and there were marks of bullet injuries on his body.

A rickshawpuller, aged 30, was killed during clash at Jatrabari area in the city. Dhaka Medical College Hospital outpost in-charge Inspector Bacchu Mia said his body was kept at the hospital morgue. It bore marks of bullet wounds, he said. 

Reports from Madaripur said Deepto Dey, a second-year student of zoology at Madaripur Government College, drowned in Shakuni Lake in the town. Fire service personnel recovered his body. Being chased by police, Deepto fell into lake and drowned. Madaripur additional superintendent M Moniruzzman said firemen recovered Deepto’s body.

One person is currently in critical condition with a bullet injury to the head and is undergoing treatment in the intensive care unit (ICU) at AMZ Hospital, Badda. Doctors are treating several injured students in front of the emergency unit. A doctor on duty said a person named Hasan is in critical condition in the ICU. His elder brother, Zahirul, was seen outside the hospital urging for help, saying, "The condition of the boy is very bad. We want to take him to Dubai if it can save him."

Riot police fired tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse crowds on Thursday as the government ordered the shutdown of mobile internet networks to quell demonstrations.

Prime Minister Hasina condemned the "murder" of protesters in a televised address and vowed that those responsible would be punished regardless of their political affiliation. However, Students Against Discrimination, the main group behind the rallies, dismissed her words as insincere and urged supporters to continue.

"It did not reflect the murders and mayhem carried out by her party activists," Asif Mahmud, one of the coordinators of the protests, told AFP.

Fresh clashes erupted in several cities across Bangladesh on Thursday as riot police marched on protesters, who began another round of human blockades on roads and highways. Police injured dozens of students by firing rubber bullets and tear gas canisters at a crowd of more than 1,000 people gathered at BRAC University.

"At the BRAC University medical centre, at least 25 students were treated for rubber bullet wounds and tear gas-related injuries," a university official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told AFP. "Rubber bullets hit several students in their eyes."

Violence also spread in Jatrabari, Shanir Akhra, Uttara, and Mirpur, with the entire Pragati Sarani remaining under occupation by protesters since 11:00am. Police announced the death of a protester on Wednesday night, conceding that police weaponry had killed the 18-year-old. "He was hit by rubber bullets," police inspector Bacchu Mia told AFP. "He was brought to the hospital but died before he was admitted."

There were widespread mobile internet outages around the country on Thursday, two days after internet providers cut off access to Facebook—the protest campaign's key organising platform. Telecommunications State Minister Zunaid Ahmed Palak said the government had ordered the network cut off. He earlier told reporters that social media had been "weaponised as a tool to spread rumours, lies, and disinformation," forcing the government to restrict access.

More than 500 others were injured in clashes around the country on Wednesday, while six people were killed on Tuesday. In addition to police crackdowns, demonstrators and students allied with the ruling Awami League have also battled each other on the streets with bricks and bamboo rods.