Tensions flared again in Bangladesh on Tuesday (October 22) as protesters surrounded Banga Bhaban, the presidential palace, demanding the resignation of President Mohammed Shahabuddin. At approximately 8:20 pm, a group attempted to breach the barricades to enter the palace, with Tarique Rahman from the Gono Odhikar Parishad among the estimated 1,200 participants.
Earlier, around 5:30 pm, protesters blocked the road and chanted various slogans against the president. By 8:45 pm, a water cannon was deployed to control the situation but had to retreat toward the Dainik Bangla intersection due to the escalating protests.
During the clashes, security forces fired bullets at protesters attempting to break through the barricades, injuring two individuals, including a student. Another protester was hurt by a sound grenade fired by security personnel.
The gunshot victims were identified as Faisal Ahmed Bishal, 24, and Shafiqul Islam, 45, while the individual injured by the sound grenade was Arif, 20.
Originally sparked in July by demands to end the quota system for government jobs, the protests have now evolved into a wider anti-Hindu onslaught with Islamists attacking Hindu homes and businesses and vandalising, and desecrating Hindu temples and idols.
