Description: Protests organized by the newly – formed National Citizen Party (NCP), commemorating the ouster of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, turned violent after members of Hasina’s Awami League party attempted to disrupt the gathering. Five people were reported to have been killed while more than 50 were hospitalized with severe injuries in the local hospitals. The Bangladeshi military assisted the local police forces in subverting the violent protests before imposing a curfew in the region. The NCP was formed last year by the student movement which protested against Hasina’s rule who has been indicted in absentia to 6 months in prison following her violent suppression of the protesters last year. She fled in self – imposed exile to India after the fall of the Bangladeshi government while the interim government of Muhammad Yunis assumed the caretaking position until the next elections scheduled for 2026. Other political entities such as the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and the far – right Jamaat – e – Islami (JI) condemned the violence and the interim government in failing to defuse the tensions fueling the political crisis in the country.
Impact: The toppling of the government in Bangladesh last year and the transfer of power towards the interim government has not resolved the internal divisions and public unrest in the country. Hasina’s indictment over her violent suppression of last year’s protests was positively received by the student party NCP, which are emerging as a considerable factor on the country’s political landscape. The political friction between the three other parties in Bangladesh has widened before the projected elections in the first half of 2026, which are exploiting the crisis to gather support and buildup political capital. Tensions in the country remain on a high level with clashes expected to continue as the interim government has evidently struggled to maintain control over public safety and order.