2013 Shapla Square protests

2013 Shapla Square protests
Part of 2013 Bangladesh political violence
Shapla Square
Date5 May 2013 – 6 May 2013;
(1 day)
Location
Dhaka
Caused by2013 Bangladesh political violence
Goals
MethodsSit-in, occupation of public square
Resulted in
Parties
Lead figures
Casualties
Death(s)50-61[2][3]

The Siege of Dhaka also known as Shapla Square protests, Operation Shapla or Operation Flash Out by security forces[2] refers to the protests, and subsequent shootings, of 5 and 6 May 2013 at Shapla Square located in the Motijheel district, the main financial area of Dhaka, Bangladesh.[4] The protests were organized by the Islamist advocacy group, Hefazat-e Islam, who were demanding the enactment of a blasphemy law.[4][5][6] The government responded to the protests by cracking down on the protesters using a combined force drawn from the police, Rapid Action Battalion and paramilitary Border Guard Bangladesh to drive the protesters out of Shapla Square.[7][8][9][10]

Following the events at Motijheel, protests in other parts of the country also broke out, during which 27 people died,[11][12][13] although different sources report casualty numbers ranging from 20 to 61.[11][12][13][14][15][16] The opposition party BNP initially claimed thousands of Hefazat activists were killed during the operation, but this was disputed by the government.[17][18] Human Rights Watch and other human rights organizations put the total death toll at above 50.[17][3] Initial attempts to dispute the chain of events were thwarted due to the government closure of two television channels, Diganta Television and Islamic TV, which were live telecasting the operation.[19][20]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference :14 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference :7 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ a b "Blood on the Streets: The Use of Excessive Force During Bangladesh Protests". Human Rights Watch. Human Rights Watch. Retrieved 26 December 2016.
  4. ^ a b "At least 32 dead as Bangladesh Islamists demand blasphemy law". DAWN. Agence France-Presse. 6 May 2013. Retrieved 19 May 2013.
  5. ^ "Press note on Motijheel reflects party views instead of govt: Dudu". Weekend Independent. 12 May 2013. Archived from the original on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 19 May 2013.
  6. ^ Rahman, Anisur (5 May 2013). "Radical Islamists lay siege to Dhaka". Gulf News. Retrieved 19 May 2013.
  7. ^ Ashraf, Shamim (6 May 2013). "Hefajat men flee Motijheel". The Daily Star. Retrieved 28 May 2014.
  8. ^ "Govt trashes loss of thousands of lives rumour". The Daily Star. UNB. 10 May 2013. Retrieved 28 May 2014.
  9. ^ "Bangladesh clashes rage over blasphemy law". Al Jazeera. 6 May 2013.
  10. ^ "Riot police battle Islamists in Dhaka Bangladesh". BBC News. Retrieved 21 May 2013.
  11. ^ a b "27 more killed". The Daily Star. 7 May 2013. Retrieved 7 May 2013.
  12. ^ a b Paul, Ruma. "At least 20 dead in Islamist protests in Bangladesh". Yahoo News. Reuters. Archived from the original on 6 May 2013. Retrieved 7 May 2013.
  13. ^ a b "BNS bears Hefajat brunt". The Daily Star. 7 May 2013.
  14. ^ Cite error: The named reference :6 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  15. ^ Al-Mahmood, Syed Zain (6 May 2013). "Bangladesh protest violence leaves more than 30 people dead". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 May 2013.
  16. ^ "Clashes over Islam blasphemy law kill 27 in Bangladesh". MSN. Archived from the original on 10 June 2013. Retrieved 20 May 2013.
  17. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference bdnews-001 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  18. ^ "Country Information and Guidance Bangladesh: Opposition to the government" (PDF). UK Home Office: 11. February 2015. Retrieved 11 January 2017.
  19. ^ Cite error: The named reference :12 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  20. ^ "Diganta, Islamic TV taken off air". bdnews24.com. 6 May 2013.