INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Hundreds of student protesters and political activists armed with bamboo sticks, iron rods and pipes have assaulted supporters of the ousted
Bangladeshi prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, and prevented them from reaching the former house of her father, the assassinated independence
leader, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, in Dhaka.The house in the Dhanmondi area of the capital was turned into a museum to showcase narratives and
other objects about a military coup on 15 August 1975, when Rahman was killed along with most of his family members
uprising during which more than 300 people were killed.Rahman is fondly called Bangabandhu (friend of Bengal)
Thursday is the anniversary of his death, and Hasina, now self-exiled in India, urged her supporters to commemorate the day by paying
cancelled by the interim government led by the Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus after the ousting of Hasina, who survived in 1975 along with
barbed-wire fences.View image in fullscreenProtesters beat a suspected Awami League supporter in front of the museum in Dhaka
loudspeakers and playing songs as they danced outside the museum, which was set on fire during the anti-government demonstrations earlier
attempt to create chaos in the name of commemoration.Sarjis Alam, an organiser of the student protests, said that they would continue to
Asked about the harassment of journalists by the students and other activists outside the museum, he said he would inquire about that but
gave no details.In the past, large gatherings took place on the premises of the museum, seen by many as a source of inspiration
Thursday.Sam Jahan, a video journalist for Reuters, spoke out against the harassment in a Facebook post
killings during weeks-long violence and cases have already been filed against her and other close party colleagues and top police
officials.More than 300 people were killed in unrest that started in July with protests against a quota system for government jobs that
The uprising eventually forced Hasina to leave office and flee to India, ending her 15-year rule.Yunus took over as the interim leader
Sixteen people, including two student protest leaders and others, drawn mainly from civil society, have been included in the interim
cabinet.Yunus chose the new cabinet members after talks between student leaders, civil society representatives and the military.
This article first appeared/also appeared in theguardian.com
