Bangladesh police declare nationwide strike

Police association claims officers were 'forced to open fire' and were unfairly portrayed as the 'villain'

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Bangladesh’s main police association announced on Tuesday that its members would go on strike, following a violent crackdown on protests that resulted in the ousting of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

The decision comes a day after the police's attempt to suppress the demonstrations with deadly force led to the toppling of the government.

The Bangladesh Police Association, representing thousands of officers, issued a statement declaring the strike, saying, “Until the security of every member of the police is secured, we are declaring a strike.”

The statement also included an apology for the police's actions against the protesters.

On Monday afternoon, General Waker-Uz-Zaman, the chief of the Bangladesh army, announced on state television that PM Hasina had resigned and that the military would form an interim government.

Today, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus was named chief adviser of Bangladesh's interim government.

Sheikh Hasina, 76, had been in power since 2009 but faced accusations of rigging the January elections, leading to millions of people taking to the streets over the past month to demand her resignation.

Despite the deadly efforts of security forces to quell the unrest, the protests intensified, and Hasina fled Bangladesh aboard a helicopter on Monday as the military turned against her.

The police force, which had largely remained loyal to Hasina, reported facing retaliatory attacks from protesters after more than a month of violence that claimed at least 413 lives, including several policemen.

“We beg an apology for what the police force has done to the innocent students,” the Bangladesh Police Association's statement said.

The association claimed that officers were "forced to open fire" and were unfairly portrayed as the "villain."