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Violence erupted in a youth-organized rally in southern Bangladesh on Wednesday, killing a minimum of four people and wounding several others, local reports said. The violence took place at a rally organized by the National Citizen Party (NCP) in Gopalganj to celebrate the first anniversary of a student-led movement that drove former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina out of the country last August.
Since Hasina’s leaving, the delay in promised reforms has generated increasing political unrest and worsening divisions.
Interim ruler and Nobel Peace laureate Muhammad Yunus criticized the violence on X, saying that NCP activists, police, and reporters were assaulted during what he termed as a peaceful protest. He blamed Hasina’s Awami League and its student affiliate for sparking the violence, terming it a “shameful violation” of citizens’ basic rights.
Local media sources provided varied accounts. BBC News Bangla reported four deaths confirmed, and Prothom Alo nine injured people.
The government imposed a curfew in Gopalganj in response to the violence.
The Awami League, in a Facebook posting, alleged that one of its members had been shot dead by army fire during the clash allegations not yet confirmed by authorities.
The latest attack highlights the volatile political situation in Bangladesh, where youth-led protests have gained strength and tensions between opposition parties continue to rise, threatening increased instability in the coming months.
