Dhaka: On Friday, massive protests took place outside the official residence of Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus in Dhaka.
The incident comes six days before Bangladesh’s first elections since the 2024 violence that forced former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to resign and flee to India.
Police used water cannon
Initially, police used water cannon to disperse the crowd in Shahbag. However, despite this effort, the protesters continued to move towards the Jamuna. When they reached Jamuna and started their protest, police officials tried to dissuade the protesters by holding several rounds of talks. When these negotiations failed and the protesters refused to leave, law enforcement resorted to lathicharge and fired tear gas shells to disperse them.
What is the demand of the protesters?
The protesters have demanded that the current government immediately announce the new pay scale. He argued that since the Pay Commission has submitted its complete report, the new pay scale can be implemented through gazette notification. Protesters expressed concern that its implementation could be delayed if an elected government comes to power.