Bangladesh police fire tear gas, sound grenades as protesters return to streets

We will also demand a United Nations investigation into the violence,

Mohammad Mahin Sarkar, a coordinator of the movement, said in a statement

We requested the protesters to move from the road, but they didn't listen and instead attacked the police, forcing us to disperse them with tear gas and stun grenades,

said regional deputy commissioner Azbahar Ali Sheikh

Using state machinery, they are playing a blame game against Jamaat and other opposition parties,

said Shafiqur Rahman, chief of the party, which, along with the opposition, had denied the government's statement that they stoked violence

We continue to raise our concerns about the situation in the country with relevant authorities, both in the capital, Dhaka, and here in New York, and we count on Bangladesh to respect and uphold human rights, including as a top troop-contributing country to United Nations peacekeeping missions,

Dujarric said

A large number of people are facing dire economic situation while those connected to the regime are plundering and siphoning off money to other countries. On the political front, three consecutive fraudulent elections have left no opportunity for them to participate in politics,

Riaz told VOA

Many of them have become traceless, which means they have become victims of enforced disappearances,

the activist told VOA

Reports suggest that these arrests are entirely politically motivated, in retaliation for the exercise of human rights,

Singh said

Anisul Huq (politician)law Minister

God willing . . . the decision (of banning Jamaat) will be announced tomorrow,

Law Minister Anisul Huq told newspersons at his office on Tuesday, adding

For the sake of the country, the 14-party alliance has decided to ban Jamaat-Shibir to eliminate anti-national evil forces,

Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader said after a meeting of the alliance parties

Obaidul Quaderawami League General Secretary

...unanimously decided to ban Jamaat and Shibir, taking into consideration their past and present activities,

said Quader, who is also general secretary of the ruling Awami League

The 'uneasy quiet' is India's silent support for Hasina's government and its policies to deal with the ongoing unrest. Over the past decades, India has invested heavily in the Awami League as a pro-India entity in Bangladesh,

Shanthie Mariet D'Souza, the founder of independent research forum Mantraya, told DW

India considers the ongoing situation in the country to be an internal matter of Bangladesh. With the support and cooperation of the Bangladesh government, we were able to arrange for the safe return of our students,

the foreign office spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a weekly press briefing

The Indian government has shielded her government from American pressure to yield to the opposition's demand to make the polls more democratic and transparent. The present silence is a continuation of the policy,

D'Souza added

Bangladesh's geographical position makes it a stakeholder in the development of the sub-region comprising Bangladesh, Bhutan, India and Nepal. This region includes Indian states to the north and east of Bangladesh. These states in the northeast of India were once integrated into the supply chain in undivided India,

Chakravarty told DW

Being a close neighbour with whom we share very warm and friendly ties, we are hopeful that the situation in the country would return to normal soon,

Jaiswal added

The relations between India and Bangladesh are embedded in their shared history, complex socio-economic interdependency, and their geo-political positioning. Any confrontational politics and political instability in the region invite the problems of terrorism, fundamentalism, insurgency, and migration,

Sanjay Bhardwaj of Jawaharlal Nehru University's Centre for South Asian Studies told DW

The mindless violence and deaths cannot be ignored or excused. The government turned the peaceful protests to the darkest phase in Bangladesh's recent history,

she told DW

The violent protest and political instability will lead a circle of violence and people's migration to India,

he said

Despite significant Chinese investments in that country, New Delhi still considers Hasina as someone who will prevent Bangladesh from transforming into a stooge of Beijing. As a result, supporting her becomes New Delhi's only strategic option, even while her policies have often bordered on autocracy,

she said

The mass arrest and arbitrary detention of student protesters is a witch hunt by the authorities to silence anyone who dares to challenge the government,

Amnesty International's Smriti Singh said in a statement