Violence erupts in Bangladesh as supporters of ousted PM Sheikh Hasina protest
Police used tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse demonstrators demanding the return of the former leader to the country.
Police in Bangladesh used tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse supporters of deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, according to BBC News. The protests began after Hasina, who is in exile in India, said she requested a passport to return to the country.
In Gopalganj district, the banned student wing of the Awami League party, known as the Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL), clashed with security forces and set a police vehicle on fire. Protesters also used burning tyres to create roadblocks, disrupting traffic in several parts of the country.
A 60-year-old bus driver died from smoke inhalation after a vehicle was set on fire in Faridpur on Tuesday. Elsewhere, approximately 200 protesters briefly blocked traffic on the Padma bridge, which connects Dhaka with the south-western region.
Bangladesh Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed stated that any attempt to create instability through conspiracies from across the Indian border would not succeed. A senior BCL leader, currently in exile, said their supporters were not responsible for the violence and blamed unknown miscreants.
Junior Foreign Affairs Minister Humaiun Kobir called Hasina a fugitive criminal and said the government would not provide her a passport. He added that the country wants her handed over under an active extradition treaty with India.
A state prosecutor said on Tuesday that Hasina's death sentence, handed down in absentia by a special tribunal last year, would be executed if she returns. Hasina has denied all charges, describing the trial as biased and politically motivated.