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Bangladesh Police Fire Tear Gas and Rubber Bullets as Sheikh Hasina Supporters Demand Her Return
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Police fired tear gas and rubber bullets at Hasina supporters; vehicle set ablaze in Gopalganj. Nationwide protests by pro-Hasina activists erupted after demands for her return from exile.
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Protests Turn Violent
Police in Bangladesh fired tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse supporters of the deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina as the supporters demanded her return to the country. A police vehicle was set on fire in Gopalganj district, where the banned student wing of Hasina's Awami League party clashed with security forces. Pro-Hasina activists tried to set up roadblocks using burning tyres, and passenger vehicles were also set on fire in various parts of Bangladesh in the run up to the protest.
A 60-year-old driver of a passenger bus was killed by smoke inhalation after people set fire to the vehicle in the city of Faridpur early on Tuesday. About 200 protesters briefly blocked traffic on the 6.2km (4 mile)-long Padma bridge across the Ganges, connecting the capital Dhaka with the south-western region.
Hasina Camp Denies
Bangladesh Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed warned that any attempt to worsen the law-and-order situation or create instability through any conspiracy within the country from across the border (India) would not be allowed to succeed. A senior leader of the BCL, who is now in exile in a foreign country, said, "Our supporters were not responsible for the violent incidents." The senior BCL leader added, "We believe in peaceful protests," while the demonstrations by the student wing were described as the first organised show of force by Hasina's supporters since she was ousted in August 2024.
The BBC said nationwide protests by pro-Hasina activists started a day after the former leader said she had requested a passport to return to Bangladesh from exile in India. The BBC reported that banned Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) demonstrations were accompanied by traffic disruption and burning tyres as protesters tried to set up roadblocks.
Passport Dispute Raises Risks
Bangladesh swiftly rejected this week a request for a new passport from deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, 78, who plans to return home in December from self-imposed exile in India. Humaiun Kobir said, "We want her handed over," and he added that Bangladesh has an active extradition treaty with India. Reuters reported that Hasina's lawyers requested new travel documents on November 9 from the Bangladesh embassy in New Delhi, and their emailed letter asked for the papers to be issued "expeditiously".
The BBC said the demonstrations by the student wing were seen as the first organised show of force by Hasina's supporters since she was ousted in August 2024 following a huge uprising against her rule. Reuters said the return of Hasina could rally supporters while confronting the government with the question of how to deal with a former prime minister sentenced to death.