Deadly unrest erupts at youth gathering in Bangladesh

Mohan Sinha
20 Jul 2025, 11:19 GMT+10

At least four people were killed and several injured on July 16 when violence broke out during a rally organized by Bangladesh’s youth-driven National Citizen Party in the southern town of Gopalganj
The gathering marked the first anniversary of student-led protests that forced Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to flee to India in August 2024
Interim leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus, who took charge following Hasina’s departure, condemned the violence in a post on X (formerly Twitter)

DHAKA, Bangladesh: At least four people were killed and several injured on July 16 when violence broke out during a rally organized by Bangladesh's youth-driven National Citizen Party (NCP) in the southern town of Gopalganj, according to local news outlets.

The gathering marked the first anniversary of student-led protests that forced Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to flee to India in August 2024. Since then, frustration has grown over stalled political reforms and rising unrest.

Interim leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus, who took charge following Hasina's departure, condemned the violence in a post on X (formerly Twitter), stating that NCP supporters, journalists, and police were attacked during what was intended to be a peaceful rally. Vehicles were vandalized and participants assaulted, he added.

"Blocking young citizens from peacefully commemorating their movement is a disgraceful breach of fundamental rights," Yunus wrote, accusing Hasina's Awami League and its affiliated student wing of inciting the attacks.

News reports varied slightly in casualty counts: BBC News Bangla confirmed four deaths, while Prothom Alo, a Dhaka-based daily, reported nine injuries. Authorities have imposed a curfew in response to the unrest.

Neither police nor local hospital officials responded to media inquiries. Meanwhile, the Awami League claimed on Facebook that one of its members was killed by army gunfire during the confrontation.