Dozens of children killed in Bangladesh protests – Unicef
According to the UN’s children’s agency, at least 32 children died during last month’s student protests in Bangladesh. A Unicef spokesperson reported that the youngest victim was under five years old and most of the deceased were bystanders.
These children were among over 200 people killed in demonstrations against civil service job quotas, as confirmed by BBC Bangla. Following a Supreme Court ruling, the government has since reduced the quota system, but students continue to protest, demanding justice for those who died, were injured, or detained.
Despite the protests being smaller now, the government is struggling to manage the growing anger over its initial response to the demonstrations.
“Why are our brothers in graves and the killers outside?” a crowd outside Dhaka’s largest mosque asked after Friday prayers, as reported by the AFP news agency.
Security forces responded to the thousands who filled the streets with tear gas and rubber bullets, according to Reuters news agency. It reported that at least 20 people were injured.
Sanjay Wijesekera, Unicef’s regional director for South Asia, said he had been made aware of reports of children being detained during a visit to Bangladesh this week.
He added that the 32 deaths the organization had confirmed were “a terrible loss”.
A spokesperson for the UN agency said most of those killed were aged 13 or older, with one under five and one child aged between six and 12.
“Children must be protected at all times,” Mr Wijesekera said. “That is everyone’s responsibility.”
Bangladeshi junior Information Minister Mohammad Ali Arafat responded that the government had no information regarding Unicef’s death toll.
“We don’t know where they [Unicef] got the numbers from,” he told the BBC, adding: “Our position is clear: Whoever has been killed, we are going to investigate and bring the perpetrators to book.”
Security forces have been accused of using excessive force to quell the initial protests, with many of the dead and injured suffering gunshot wounds, according to doctors who spoke to the BBC.
But the government – which has said several police officers were also killed – has blamed political opponents for the unrest.
On Thursday, it banned the country’s main Islamist party – Jamaat-e-Islami, and its student wing, Islami Chhatra Shibir – which it claimed was behind some of the violence.
“We have evidence that they have participated in the killings and in the destruction of government and private properties,” Anisul Huq, Bangladesh law minister, told the BBC.
The opposition party’s leader described the move as “illegal, extrajudicial, and unconstitutional”.
Leaders of the student protest were also detained for a week – something done for their protection, officials claimed. However, their release on Thursday has done little to dampen the outrage.
In a joint statement released on Friday, the students questioned the grounds on which they were held.
The group alleged “harassment, torture, and drama” towards them and their families during their seven days of detention.
“No one is safe in the custody of those who kill unarmed students and citizens,” the statement said, as it urged people to continue taking to the streets.
Nearly 10,000 people have reportedly been detained since the authorities began their crackdown on the protests.
But Mr Arafat rebuffed the statement by the student leaders.
He said the authorities had to take the student leaders into custody because the government was aware of a potential threat to their lives.
“Their protection became our top priority,” he added.
