DHAKA: Violence that erupted in Bangladesh during anti-government protests last month killed more than 1,000 people, the acting head of the health ministry said on Thursday, making it the bloodiest period in the country's history.
The violence erupted during a student-led movement against public sector employment quotas, which later escalated into an uprising against Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who resigned and fled to India on August 5, moments before her residence was stormed by hundreds of protesters.
An interim government led by Nobel Prize-winning economist Muhammad Yunus replaced Hasina's administration, quelling violence that had flared for weeks before her departure as security forces cracked down on protests, and continued for some days after she fled.
“More than 1,000 people have died and more than 400 students have lost their sight,” the health ministry said in a statement, citing its head Nurjahan Begum.
“Many have gone blind in one eye, many have lost sight in both eyes… many people have injuries to their legs and many of them have had to have their legs amputated,” the statement said.
The ministry did not say in its statement how it assessed the death toll, but an Interior Ministry official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said he believed it was based on hospital records and information from the local administration.
