Bangladesh: 44 Policemen killed during July-August uprising, govt says

Dhaka: Bangladesh interim government on Friday published the list of slain policemen who were killed during the July-August uprising.

In the list, 44 policemen's names, titles, date of death, unit name and place of occurrence have been mentioned.
"We have noticed that some news outlets and also some people have been deliberately spreading lies and misinformation on the number of policemen who were killed during the July-August student-led uprising," a statement issued by the government said.

The statement attached the list of 44 slain policemen and stated, "Here is the actual list of police officials killed during the uprising. This list is published by the police headquarters."

The statement said that the department maintains records of constables who are injured or martyred.

"The police department meticulously maintains the list of officers or constables who are injured or killed in any protests or any acts of violence", it said.

The statement added that people who claim that more personnel have been killed must provide evidence.

"Anyone claiming more police were killed in the uprising is requested to provide evidence", the statement said.

Earlier, the Bangladesh interim government on Wednesday banned Bangladesh Chatra League, the student organization of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's party Awami League, after a demand by a student group that led the July-August uprising.

The government, under the powers provided in sub-section (1) of Section 18 of the "Anti-Terrorism Act 2009", banned Bangladesh Awami League's fraternal organization "Bangladesh Chatra League", said the Bangladesh Home Ministry in an official order. A copy of the order was obtained by ANI.

Two months ago, a student-led movement ousted Bangladesh's Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina, after weeks of protests and clashes that killed over 600 people.

Hasina, 76, fled to India on August 5 and an interim government led by Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus was formed.

The unrest in Bangladesh began with student protests against the country's quota system, which reserved 30 per cent of government jobs for relatives and dependents of freedom fighters.