July 22, 2024: Curfewed Calm, Burning Rage

On July 22, 2024, the nation witnessed a fragile calm after nearly a week of violent unrest. While capital Dhaka saw no fresh clashes on the third day of a strict nationwide curfew, the country continued to grapple with the aftermath. The death toll climbed further as six more injured individuals succumbed to their wounds, and tensions remained high amid mass arrests, political accusations, and heightened security presence.

Four of the victims succumbed to their injuries at Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH), with hospital authorities confirming that they had suffered either bullet or shotgun pellet wounds.

Tap here to add The Daily Star as a trusted source

In addition, Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Police Station's Officer-in-Charge Ahad Ali said police recovered two more bodies from the National Institute of Neuroscience and Hospital. These were later sent to Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College morgue for autopsies. The victims had reportedly sustained injuries during clashes in Uttara and Gulshan over the preceding days.

With these latest fatalities, the nationwide death toll since July 15 rose to at least 146. The unrest began that day when six people were killed in violent clashes related to the ongoing quota reform movement.

In a separate development, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan stated that three police personnel had been killed and 1,117 others injured across the country during confrontations surrounding the quota protests.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Public Administration sent a proposal to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the afternoon, recommending that 93 percent of civil service recruitment be based on merit, with the remaining 7 percent reserved for quotas. The revised quota system was proposed to apply to recruitment for grades 9 through 20 across government, semi-government, and autonomous bodies.

Addressing a meeting with leading businesspeople at her office, then prime minister Sheikh Hasina issued a stern warning against the "BNP-Jamaat clique," vowing that they would not be spared this time as they had been in the past. She accused them of attempting to carry out terrorist activities during the ongoing curfew.

On the same day, Army Chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman expressed optimism that stability would soon return, crediting the military's presence for the improving situation.

The University Teachers Network (UTN) issued a statement urging the government to withdraw the nationwide curfew and restore internet services to ease public suffering. The disruption, they said, was severely affecting access to essential services.

According to police, 1,427 people were arrested across the country in connection with the recent violence over the last three days. Of them, 692 were detained in the capital, while the rest were arrested in 16 other districts.