Govt has turned Bangladesh into ‘death valley’ to suppress student protests: Ganatantra Mancha

Ganatantra Mancha, an alliance of several opposition parties, on Wednesday said that the government has turned the entire Bangladesh into a "death valley" by killing "several hundred" students and people to suppress their protests.

Speaking at a protest rally, Zonayed Saki, chief coordinator of Ganosamhati Andolon, also said the government is trying to shift the blame for the recent violence on the opposition parties to stop the students' quota movement.

"The entire country has now turned into a death valley. Several hundred students have been killed... The government is unable to cover up so many dead bodies and the lines of bodies. We are observing that they (govt) are using various political tactics to hide the casualties," he said.

Saki noted that the government is claiming Jamaat and Shibir should be banned for their involvement in violence, but 80% to 90% of the arrested students have no political affiliation.

"The government's deception is now evident, as it is arresting students who have no political identity. They aim to undermine movements by attributing the violence to others, just as they have done in the past," he observed.

Ganatantra Mancha was supposed to hold a protest rally at the Purana Paltan intersection in the capital around 11:30am to press home their various demands, including the resignation of the Awami League government.

As a large number of police officers took position with prison vans in the area, the leaders of Ganatantra Mancha held a brief rally on the footpath in front of the Al Raji Complex in Bijoynagar area.

Protesting the police action, Saki said, "We had planned to hold a rally to protest the killing of our students and demand justice. However, the police have cordoned off the Purana Paltan area, showing a complete disregard for law and order. They have attempted to disrupt our rally through aggressive tactics and have confiscated our loudspeakers. We strongly condemn and protest against this police action."

He urged the government to step down, noting that people from every household in the country are demanding its resignation.

Saki also said their alliance will announce its next course of action during a press conference on Thursday.

Saiful Haque, General Secretary of the Bangladesh Revolutionary Workers Party, said the government is now surviving solely on the support of the administration. "The fate of the government hangs by a thread. If our law enforcement agencies simply carry out their professional duties, this government will find no way to escape."

He said the government must resign by handing over power to an interim administration to resolve the current political crisis.

Otherwise, Saiful warned, the people of the country will oust the government through expressing their pent-up anger.