Anti-Modi protests in Bangladesh leave five dead
March 28, 2021
Demonstrations in Bangladesh against the visit of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi left at least five dead and dozens injured on Saturday due to clashes between protesters and the police. The violence occurred in the eastern border district of Brahmanbaria, where supporters of fundamentalist group Hefazat-e-Islam came to blows with the police and border troops.
"We received three bullet-hit dead bodies and two others succumbed to their injuries later," Abdullah Al Mamum, a doctor at the public Brahmanbaria general hospital told news agencies. The Bangladeshi government said the police shot at the protesters in self-defense.
The deaths come after another five people were killed during clashes on Friday in the port city of Chittagong and in Brahmanbaria. The violence occurred at a mosque in the Bangladeshi capital of Dhaka, where Modi began his two-day visit.
Why is Modi a controversial figure in Bangladesh?
Modi is seen as a controversial figure in Bangladesh due to his treatment of Muslims in Hindu-majority India.
Modi had been accused of condoning violence against Muslims during riots in the Indian state of Gujarat in 2002. Modi, who was Gujarat's chief minister at the time, was later cleared of complicity in the violence by a Supreme Court-appointed investigative team in 2012, angering India's Muslim community.
Modi was visiting Dhaka on Friday to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Bangladesh's independence from Pakistan. Modi concluded his two-day visit on Saturday.
Hefazat-e-Islam calls for nationwide strike over police killings
The Hefazat-e-Islam group has called for nationwide protests on Sunday due to police killings in the days prior. Hefazat, which operates religious schools across Bangladesh, was formed in 2010.
In 2013, the group demanded the Bangladeshi government do more to crack down on citizens who defame Islam and to encourage Islamic religious garb such as the hijab. Critics claim the group is a front for banned Islamist party Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami, which calls for a Sharia legal system in the country.
wd/sms (Reuters, AFP, dpa)