Bangladesh Hit By New Protests As Calls Grow For Hasina To Quit

(Bloomberg) -- Thousands of people descended on the streets of Dhaka on Saturday to pile pressure on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to resign, resuming protests from last month. 

Violence erupted in parts of Bangladesh on Friday following two weeks of relative calm as the authorities relaxed a curfew across the country. 

The ongoing demonstrations against a controversial quota for government jobs was initially led by students and turned violent last month, with mobs destroying public property and clashing with security forces.

About 200 people have died in the protests. At least 32 children were killed during social demonstrations last month, while many more were injured or detained, UNICEF said in a statement on Friday.  

READ: Bangladesh Bans Islamist Party from Politics After Deadly Unrest

Hasina has offered to meet protest coordinators and ordered the release of detained students as crowds swarmed streets across Dhaka on Saturday. “My doors are open. I want to sit with protesters and listen to them. I don’t want any conflict,” she said.

Bangladesh formally banned the biggest Islamist party in the country from all political activity for its alleged role in violent protests. The government restricted the Jamaat-e-Islami party and all associated groups on allegations of terrorism, according to a notice issued by the home ministry on Aug.1.

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