Bangladesh protests: 39 killed, state broadcaster's building set ablaze
Dhaka: Violent clashes between student protesters and security officials over a quota system for government jobs have resulted in 39 deaths across Bangladesh. The protests, which erupted into violence on Thursday, have plunged the country into chaos.
Armed with sticks and rocks, students clashed with police nationwide, including in the capital, Dhaka. The protesters aimed to shut down transportation across Bangladesh, leading to widespread disruptions.
Hundreds were injured as police used tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse the crowds. Protesters torched vehicles, police posts, and other establishments, including the state broadcaster’s building.
Streets in Dhaka were deserted on Friday following the violent protests. Communication services were widely disrupted, with a near-total internet shutdown reported. The protests intensified after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s televised address, which aimed to calm the unrest.
The unrest began late last month and escalated on Monday when student activists at Dhaka University clashed with police and counter-protesters backed by the ruling Awami League. The students demand the abolition of the quota system, which reserves 30% of government jobs for the families of 1971 war veterans. They argue that the system is discriminatory and want a merit-based system.
Despite the government scrapping these quotas in 2018, a High Court reinstated them, and the Supreme Court is set to hear the government's appeal on August 7. Prime Minister Hasina has appealed for peace and assured the students of a fair judicial inquiry.
The Awami League alleges that the violence was incited by Chhatra Shibir and Chhatra Dal, student wings of opposition parties. The UN Secretary-General has called for restraint and urged authorities to investigate the violence.
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Mathura boat capsize tragedy: Death toll climbs to 13
Mathura (UP)(PTI): With the recovery of two more bodies on Sunday, the death toll in the boat capsize incident in the Yamuna river in Mathura has climbed to 13, officials said on Sunday.
Search for three more missing persons is underway.
Superintendent of Police (Rural) Suresh Chandra Rawat said renewed search efforts led to the recovery of the body of a college student, identified as Dinki Bansal, near Devraha Baba Ghat and that of a man identified as Rishabh Sharma approximately 3 km away from the accident site.
The incident occurred on Friday afternoon when a boat carrying over two dozen tourists, primarily from Punjab, hit a floating drum of a pontoon bridge and capsized near Kesi Ghat in Vrindavan.
Most of the victims were from Jagraon and Dugri areas of Ludhiana district.
Teams from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) along with the district administration and local police were actively engaged in the search for the missing pilgrims.
However, strong currents of the Yamuna river and the significant depth of the water at the ghats are proving a hindrance.
Circle Officer (Mant) Sandeep Singh said the Yamuna river stretch extending from Keshi Ghat to Gokul Barrage has been divided into seven sectors.
The search for the missing individuals will now be conducted within this specific 20-square-km zone. A Station House Officer (SHO) has been designated as the in-charge for each sector.
Acting on the orders of the DIG (Agra Range), seven SHOs will oversee operations across the seven sectors of river Yamuna.
Giving details about the operation, Additional District Magistrate (Finance and Revenue) Pankaj Kumar Verma, citing NDRF officials, on Saturday had said although the search for the missing persons is currently focused within a 14-km radius from the spot where the boat had capsized, there is a possibility that they may have been swept much further downstream.
SHO of Vrindavan police station Sanjay Pandey said boat operator Pappu was arrested late on Friday night.
He is accused of failing to provide life jackets to passengers before allowing them to board the boat, and operating the boat at high speed. This resulted in the boat losing control and colliding with a pontoon bridge's drum, which led to the accident, officials said.
Police have registered a case and also arrested the contractor, Narayan Sharma, responsible for the repair work on the pontoon bridge.
Rawat said that on Friday evening, police registered a case under section 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) against the boatman Pappu (alias Dauji) and Sharma, and subsequently arrested them.
According to the case details, Pappu's boat did not have any safety equipment or provisions whatsoever.
Moreover, despite repeated pleas from pilgrims, Pappu operated the boat at high speed. By the time he realised the danger upon approaching the pontoons of the bridge, it was already too late.
Consequently, after colliding with a pontoon drum, the boat lost control and capsized. It has also come to light that he is among those operators who have not obtained the requisite license to operate a boat.
Sharma was carrying out the work of dismantling and reassembling the pontoon bridge without providing any prior notification.
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