Dozens of people were injured in custody on the third day of the protests in Bangladesh after the death of a prominent writer. The officers used rubber bullets and tear gas against protesting students who attacked the forces with sticks and stones, the Dhaka deputy chief said today. Mushtaq Ahmed, 53, died Thursday in a maximum security prison.
Many BNP members in the ranks of the demonstrators
Many of the demonstrators belong to the Asian country’s largest opposition party, the BNP. A party spokesman said around 30 members were injured in clashes with security forces, including a senior party member. Several police officers were also injured.
The police said their approach was appropriate because the demonstration was not authorized. The BNP spokesman contradicted: In the past, a permit was not necessary. He accused the officials of indiscriminately using batons against protesters who formed a human chain in front of the National Press Club building.
The protesters are calling for an independent investigation into Ahmed’s death. The writer was arrested in May last year on the basis of a controversial online security law for „anti-state activities“ on Facebook. The 53-year-old had previously criticized the government’s coronavirus crisis management. Ambassadors from a total of 13 states expressed their „serious concerns“ about the death in custody, including representatives from Germany, France and the USA.
