Last updated on August 30th, 2024 at 02:37 pm
Dhaka: Violent jailbreaks have swept Bangladesh, leaving at least 12 inmates dead and hundreds more on the run, as chaos gripped the country following the ouster of long-time leader Sheikh Hasina. The caretaker government in this South Asian nation faces daunting challenges in an attempt to reimpose the rule of law as bloody uprisings sweep through.
The most recent incidents were reported from two jails just to the north of Dhaka. Six prisoners were shot dead in the small hours of Thursday when an attempt to break out of Jamapur Prison failed. Having been attacked by the would-be jailbreakers wielding iron rods and sharp weapons, the prison guards were forced to open fire, though they managed, subsequently, to prevent any further ward break. The prison itself was largely destroyed.
Earlier in the week, another jailbreak occurred at Kashimpur High-Security Prison, which is located about 30 kilometers north of the capital. During the jailbreak, six inmates were killed after prison guards opened fire. More than 200 prisoners escaped after breaking the prison’s main gate. However, despite the security being tight, there was no major jailbreak of high-profile inmates.
These incidents signify a broad pattern of unrest, which had already seen many prisoners released because of a massive jailbreak in Narsingdi earlier in July and another on the day Hasina was ousted, this time in Sherpur. Over four hundred and fifty lives have been lost in the continuing violence: not just students of course, but police too; this has provoked a police strike, with the unions demanding improved safety.
The interim government is hard put to tackle the heaving unrest; it has to address not only the immediate security challenges but also the wider situation of instability the country finds itself in.
