Rallies in Bangladesh mark one month since ex-premier Sheikh Hasina was ousted

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — Thousands of students and others on Thursday rallied in Bangladesh’s capital to mark one month since former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was ousted from power by a mass uprising initially led by students over a quota system for government jobs.

Hasina fled to India on Aug. 5 after weeks of violence left more than 600 people dead, including students. The uprising ended the 15-year-rule of the country’s longest-serving prime minister who began a fourth consecutive term in January following an election boycotted by the major opposition parties, who questioned the credibility of the electoral process.

The demonstrators chanted slogans such as “Where is Hasina? Bury her, bury her!” and “Hasina-Modi, warning, be careful!” or “Naraye Takbeer, Allahu Akbar.”

They were referring Narendra Modi, India’s prime minister, as Hasina is known to be a trusted ally of India. Many protesters do not like India for promoting Hinduism and demonstrating what they see as a big brotherly dominance, and condemned it for sheltering Hasina.

The central procession, styled as a “shaheedi march” or "procession for the martyrs” began from the Dhaka University campus and marched through streets. In addition to the many Bangladeshi flags, some participants carried a giant Palestinian flag.

Tens of thousands joined rallies across the Muslim-majority nation of 170 million people.

In Dhaka’s Uttara neighborhood, thousands of school and madrasah students in uniform took part in processions, chanting anti-Hasina slogans. Some carried banners and placards, reading “We want Hasina’s execution” and “We want reforms of the state.”

Thursday’s development came as Bangladesh was returning to normalcy after the protests, despite challenges such as a struggling economy. An interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, who had a frosty relationship with Hasina for many years, has prioritized law and order to stabilize the country.

In an interview with the Press Trust of India, or PTI, news agency released Thursday, Yunus said Hasina should stay quiet, and that her political remarks from India are an “unfriendly gesture.”

The protesters and other opponents of Hasina want her and her associates to stand trial for mass killings during the demonstrations that began in July.

“If India wants to keep her until the time Bangladesh wants her back, the condition would be that she has to keep quiet,” the PTI quoted Yunus as saying.

“No one is comfortable with her stance there in India because we want her back to try her. She is there in India and at times she is talking, which is problematic ... No one likes it,” he said.

Yunus was apparently referring to Hasina’s statement on August 13 in which she demanded “justice”, saying those involved in recent “terror acts”, killings and vandalism must be investigated, identified and punished.

The press office of Yunus, who holds the official position of the chief adviser in the interim government, told journalists Thursday that he had the backing of 197 global leaders including 97 Nobel laureates.

It said that in a show of international support, individuals including former U.S. President Barack Obama, entrepreneur Richard Branson and renowned activist Jane Goodall congratulated the people of Bangladesh and Yunus in a letter.

Yunus’ administration is reorganizing police, bureaucracy and other state institutions to take control amid reports of violence and continuing unrest. On Thursday, the country's chief election commissioner and his deputies who oversaw the recent elections resigned from office.

Days of street protests by garment workers and other industries forced owners to shut their factories for days before they restarted their operations on Thursday amid heightened security in two major industrial hubs outside Dhaka.

Also, media reports said that a young Hindu man was beaten on Wednesday by a Muslim mob in the presence of security officials in the southwestern Khulna region after he allegedly posted derogatory comments online about the Prophet Muhammad.

The military's Inter Service Public Relations office said in a statement later Thursday that soldiers rescued the man, named as Sri Utso, after an angry mob attacked him inside the office of a senior police official. It said he survived and was out of danger, and he would be handed over to police for legal actions against him.

Yunus in the interview with the PTI refuted earlier reports that the Hindu minority had been targeted since Hasina’s fall. Modi had also earlier voiced concern over the reports of attacks on Hindus.

Yunus said the issue of attacks on minority Hindus in Bangladesh is “exaggerated” and questioned the manner in which India projected it.

He said the attacks on minorities in Bangladesh are more political than communal: he described them as the fallout of political upheaval as there is a perception that most Hindus supported the now-deposed Awami League regime of Sheikh Hasina.

Also on Thursday, Bangladesh's Ministry of Foreign Affairs lodged a formal protest to India over the killing of a 13-year-old Bangladeshi girl, Shwarna Das of Moulvibazar district, who was shot and killed by India's Border Security Force on Sept. 1, according to Yunus' press office.

Bangladesh has a 4,096-kilometer (2,545-mile) border with India.

Students and other activists carry Bangladesh's national flag during a protest march organized by Students Against Discrimination to mark one month since former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina stepped down after a mass uprising, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajib Dhar)

Students and other activists carry Bangladesh's national flag during a protest march organized by Students Against Discrimination to mark one month since former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina stepped down after a mass uprising, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajib Dhar)

Students and other activists carry Bangladesh's national flag during a protest march organized by Students Against Discrimination to mark one month since former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina stepped down after a mass uprising, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajib Dhar)

Students and other activists carry Bangladesh's national flag during a protest march organized by Students Against Discrimination to mark one month since former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina stepped down after a mass uprising, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajib Dhar)

Students and other activists carry Bangladesh's national flag during a protest march organized by Students Against Discrimination to mark one month since former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina stepped down after a mass uprising, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajib Dhar)

Students and other activists carry Bangladesh's national flag during a protest march organized by Students Against Discrimination to mark one month since former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina stepped down after a mass uprising, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajib Dhar)

Students and other activists carry Bangladesh's national flag during a protest march organized by Students Against Discrimination to mark one month since former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina stepped down after a mass uprising, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Thursday, Sept. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajib Dhar)

FILE- Protesters shout slogans as they celebrate Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's resignation, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Aug. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajib Dhar, File)

FILE- A policeman aims his weapon at protesters during a curfew imposed following violence during protests against Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her government, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Aug. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajib Dhar, File)

FILE- Activists clash with the police during a march to remember victims of recent countrywide clashes, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, July 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajib Dhar, File)

FILE- University students shout slogans during a protest to demand justice for the victims killed in the recent countrywide deadly clashes and ask for their campuses to be opened, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, July 31, 2024. (AP Photo/Rajib Dhar, File)

Rallies in Bangladesh mark one month since ex-premier Sheikh Hasina was ousted

Rallies in Bangladesh mark one month since ex-premier Sheikh Hasina was ousted

FILE- Bangladesh's Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina speaks during a press conference in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on Jan. 6, 2014. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh, File)

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals have walked out of Arrowhead Stadium both elated and dejected over the years. Most of the time it has been January, and they have been playing the Kansas City Chiefs for a spot in the Super Bowl.

There wasn't that same sort of finality on Sunday. But another last-second loss was brutal in its own way.

The Bengals had fought and rallied and fought some more to take the lead on Evan McPherson's fourth field goal with just under 10 minutes to go. And after their defense had forced Kansas City to punt, it was on the verge of another big stop, when a penalty on safety Daijahn Anthony inside the final minute kept the Chiefs' own comeback hopes alive.

A few plays later, Harrison Butker kicked a 51-yard field goal as time expired to give Kansas City a 26-25 victory.

“It hurts,” Bengals coach Zac Taylor admitted, “but I'm really proud of the way we fought. We put ourselves in some really good situations in both halves. The defense getting those takeaways was critical. I’m disappointed that we lost. It was an emotional loss for us. But at the same time, I like where our team’s mental state is right now.”

It was an especially emotional game for Bengals star Ja'Marr Chase, who had to be held back from referee Alex Kemp at one point in the fourth quarter after he thought a penalty should have been called for a hip-drop tackle on him.

It was Burrow who physically dragged his wide receiver away as Kemp threw a flag for unsportsmanlike conduct.

“It's just simply abusive language toward a game official. That's all it was,” Kemp said after the game. “There was really no interpretation. I'm not going to repeat to you what he said, but there was no interpretation with the language that he used.”

Kemp said Chase crossed a line when it became “profanity used by grown men versus direct, personal, abusive language towards a game official. That's the line. When that line gets crossed, we simply can't let that happen in pro football.”

Chase refused to discuss the penalty in the postgame locker room, saying only: “It doesn’t feel great losing.”

“It’s OK to be emotional,” Taylor said. “I can’t see everything that’s said or done, so it’s better that I not comment on it.”

The Bengals still have 15 games ahead of them, but they are already in a deep hole. Their surprising loss to the Patriots in their season opener means they are 0-2, and should Taylor manage to get them turned around and into the playoffs, they now face the prospect of Kansas City holding the tiebreaker over them.

That could mean another matchup in Arrowhead Stadium. Butker's kick on Sunday was the same direction, and almost the same distance, as the 45-yarder he hit against the Bengals for a 23-20 victory in the AFC championship game on Jan. 29, 2023.

There were certainly bright spots for Cincinnati, especially after its performance last week against New England.

Burrow looked much better throwing the ball, finishing with 258 yards passing and two touchdowns. Most importantly, he did not seem to be affected by his bothersome wrist in his second game since having surgery on it.

Burrow did fumble the ball, though, and Chamarri Conner returned it 37 yards for a second-half touchdown.

“I gifted them six points,” Burrow said, "so that was frustrating.”

Both of his touchdown passes went to Andrei Iosivas, who came through as Tee Higgins missed another game with a hamstring injury. Iosivas and tight end Mike Gesicki, who had seven catches for 91 yards, also helped make up for a poor game from Chase, who was limited to four catches for 35 yards and had the silly unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.

That flag was thrown after Chase's reception had set up a manageable third down midway through the fourth quarter. The 15-yard penalty pushed the Bengals back to third-and-22 at the Kansas City 45, and after a 10-yard pass to Gesicki, the Bengals had to kick a field goal for a 25-23 lead with just over five minutes left in the game.

Ultimately, penalties were a big reason why the Bengals came undone. They had eight of them for 79 yards. And while the one against Chase was important, the one against Anthony on fourth down in the final minute was crippling.

“We’ve been here before, unfortunately. We know what this feels like, and we know it’s a long season,” Taylor said. “We know we can get ourselves out of it. Stick together. Get our emotions in check and come back (next week) and play a great game.”

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Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow throws during the second half of an NFL football game against the Kansas City Chiefs Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Cincinnati Bengals tight end Mike Gesicki (88) leaps over Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Trent McDuffie (22) during the second half of an NFL football game Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker (7) walks off the field after kicking a 51-yard field goal at the end of an NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals to give the Chiefs a 26-25 victory Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Ed Zurga)

Kansas City Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker (7) kicks a 51-yard field goal during the second half of an NFL football game against the Cincinnati Bengals to give the Chiefs a 26-25 victory Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)