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.

Former Bangladesh PM Khaleda Zia. File.
| Photo Credit: AFP

Accusing Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina of a “personal political vendetta” against her predecessor and political rival Khaleda Zia, a senior leader from her party on June 23 claimed she is on her “deathbed” as she has been deprived of advance medical treatment abroad.

A report in The Daily Star said that Ms. Zia, 78, was rushed to Evercare Hospital here in an ambulance around 3:30 a.m. on Saturday as she suddenly fell ill at her residence, ‘Firoza’ in Gulshan.

Ms. Hasina’s action is a result of “personal political vendetta,” Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir alleged and said, “It’s our misfortune that our leader Khaleda Zia is now in critical condition on her deathbed without receiving any (necessary) medical treatment (abroad).” She was quickly admitted to the CCU, where her medical treatment began under the supervision of a medical board.

The BNP leader further alleged that Ms. Zia has been imprisoned for a long period due to the vindictiveness of the current “oppressive fascist” government, the news portal said.

Ms. Zia, who was the prime minister from 1991 to 1996 and then again from 2001 to 2006, fell ill while staying in Old Dhaka Central Jail, but no medical treatment was provided to her there, he said.

“Although she was allowed to stay at home, she is actually under complete confinement and remains imprisoned,” he said.

“The BNP chief complained repeatedly, but the government did not pay heed and did not provide her with medical care. Later, when she was taken to the hospital (by the jail authorities), she did not receive any proper treatment there either,” Alamgir said.

“The medical board has consistently stated that treating Khaleda’s illness here in Bangladesh is not possible, she requires treatment at a multidisciplinary hospital in a developed country,” Alamgir said.

“But Sheikh Hasina out of her personal political vendetta has denied Khaleda access to better medical treatment to kill her and to remove her from politics,” he alleged.

Kolkata (West Bengal):

Ahead of the G20 Summit in New Delhi, Bangladesh Deputy High Commissioner, Andalib Elias said that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will attend the G20 Summit on September 9 and 10. 

Mr Elias further said, “We are also hoping that there will also be a bilateral meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and PM Sheikh Hasina.”

The G20 Summit is scheduled to be held in the national capital for two days–September 9 and September 10–at the state-of-the-art Bharat Mandapam Convention Centre at Pragati Maidan.

Many heads of state and diplomats, including US President Joe Biden, Chinese Premier Xi Jinping, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and French President Emmanuel Macron are expected to attend the G20 Leaders’ Summit.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the latest edition of his monthly radio broadcast – “Mann Ki Baat” said that India is fully geared to host the G20 Summit. He added that the summit next month, which is being hosted under India’s presidency of the G20, will give the world an insight into the country’s potential and rising global heft. 

Moreover, on behalf of India-Bangladesh Maitri Sangha, a memorial meeting was organised to mark the 48th martyrdom anniversary of Bangabandhu and the National Mourning Day of Bangladesh in Kolkata on Sunday, a press release said. 

The meeting was organised to share the sorrow and grief of Bangladeshi people due to the heinous killing of the Father of the Nation of Bangladesh Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. 

Member of Parliament Mahbubul Alam Hanif, Joint Secretary of Bangladesh Awami League, was present on the occasion as chief guest. 

Whereas, Bangladesh Deputy High Commissioner Andalib Elias and Bangladesh Pratidin Editor Naem Nizam attended the programme as special guests. In addition, dignitaries from both India and Bangladesh graced the occasion.

Furthermore, Mahbubul Alam Hanif congratulated India for the soft landing of Chandrayaan-3 on August 23. 

“We are really proud of India for successfully landing Chandrayaan-3,” he said.  

As the Vikram lander carrying the Pragyaan rover in its belly touched down on the lunar surface, it marked a giant leap in India’s spacefaring journey providing a well-deserved finale to ISRO’s long years of toil.

This makes India the fourth country – after the US, China, and Russia – to have successfully landed on the moon’s surface, it has earned a place in record books as the first to touchdown on the south side of Earth’s only natural satellite.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)