History of violence in Bangladesh, a country born out of wars

NEW DELHI (Reuters) – Deadly protests by thousands of students in Bangladesh against quotas in public jobs have drawn attention to a history of violence in a country that emerged from a 1971 war between India and Pakistan that killed nearly three million people.

Its founding father and first prime minister, Sheikh Mujibur Rehman, was assassinated in a military coup in 1975, followed by a long period of military rule.

Although democracy was slowly restored by 1990, the country, with its population of almost 170 million, has been repeatedly shaken by periods of sectarian or political violence in recent years.

2009

Dissatisfied with their wages and living conditions, revolting border guards killed more than 70 people, most of them army officers, in the capital Dhaka.

The so-called “mutiny,” which had spread to nearly a dozen towns, ended after six days when the angry guards surrendered after a series of discussions.

2013

During the year, about 100 people were killed in political violence under the rule of the Awami League party, which was Sheikh HasinaDaughter of the first Prime Minister Rehman.

But elections announced for November and the execution of Islamic leader Abdul Quader Mollah, leader of the opposition Jamaat-e-Islami, for crimes during the 1971 war claimed nearly 100 more lives.

2016

In an attack claimed by the militant terrorist group Islamic State, twenty hostages were killed, most of them foreigners.

The militants attacked an upscale restaurant in Dhaka’s diplomatic quarter, leading to a 12-hour standoff until the restaurant was stormed by security forces.

Among the dead were citizens from Italy, Japan, the USA and India. Previously, there had been months of attacks on people who were committed to a liberal lifestyle in the country.

2021

In Muslim-majority Bangladesh, extremists are attacking the Hindu minority. In October, at least six people were killed and their homes destroyed in one of the worst cases of sectarian violence in the country in over a decade.

Earlier, as the violence spread, thousands of members of radical Islamist groups attacked Hindu temples protesting against a visit by the Hindu nationalist Prime Minister of neighboring India, Narendra Modi, to mark the 50th anniversary of Bangladesh’s independence.

2024

Hasina returned to power in an election that was boycotted by the main opposition party, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), which accused the Awami League of trying to legitimize sham elections.

During this period, four people were killed in attacks on polling stations and arson attacks on trains.

In July, more than two dozen people are killed when security forces crack down on thousands of students protesting against quotas in public jobs.

(Reporting by Krishn Kaushik in New Delhi, editing by Angus MacSwan)