Bangladesh police release student leaders after unrest

A still from the students’ protest. File
| Photo Credit: AP

The Bangladesh police freed six student leaders on August 1 whose campaign against civil service job quotas sparked deadly nationwide unrest, as the government looked to calm tensions and forestall fresh demonstrations.

Students Against Discrimination staged nationwide rallies last month that ended in a police crackdown and the deaths of at least 206 people, according to a count of police and hospital data.

The group’s leadership were among thousands picked up in the police dragnet that followed some of the worst unrest of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s 15-year tenure.

“All six quota movement coordinators have been returned to their families this afternoon,” Deputy Commissioner Junaed Alam Sarkar said.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh banned the Jamaat-e-Islami and its student wing Islami Chhatra Shibir under anti-terrorism law, accusing the fundamentalist party of instigating protests. The development comes after a meeting of the ruling Awami League-led 14-party alliance passed a resolution earlier this week.