India advises its nationals not to travel to Bangladesh until further notice

Amid violent protests in Bangladesh India has advised its nationals to refrain from travelling to Bangladesh until further notice.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has also strongly cautioned its citizens currently living in Bangladesh to be extremely vigilant and limit their movements

“In view of ongoing developments, Indian nationals are strongly advised against travelling to Bangladesh till further notice,” MEA said in an official statement on Sunday.

“All Indian nationals presently in Bangladesh are advised to exercise extreme caution, restrict their movements and remain in contact with the High Commission of India in Dhaka through their emergency phone numbers 8801958383679, 8801958383680, 8801937400591,” the Ministry added.

Earlier in the day, 76 people were killed, including 13 police officers and dozens more were injured as a fresh round of violence rocked Bangladesh, Al Jazeera reported.

Bangladesh Police fired tear gas and lobbied stun grenades to disperse tens of thousands of protesters who returned to the streets demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Police and doctors reported these deaths on Sunday in the capital Dhaka and the northern districts of Bogura, Pabna and Rangpur, as well as in Magura in the west, Comilla in the east, and Barisal and Feni in the south.

The Enayetpur police station in the northwest city of Sirajganj was attacked, according to Additional Deputy Inspector General Vijay Basak of the Bangladesh police. The identity of the attackers is unknown.

The demonstrators are demanding Hasina’s resignation after earlier protests that started with students calling for an end to a quota system in government jobs turned violent and killed 200 people.

The deadly protests began last month as students demanded an end to a quota system that reserved 30 per cent of government jobs for the families of veterans who fought in Bangladesh’s war of independence against Pakistan in 1971.

As violence intensified, the country’s Supreme Court scaled back the quota system to 5 per cent of jobs, with 3 per cent for relatives of veterans. But, despite that, the protests have continued, demanding accountability for the violence the demonstrators blame on the government’s use of excessive force.