Four Killed in Clashes at Bangladesh Youth Rally in Gopalganj

Violence erupted during a rally organized by Bangladesh's youth-led National Citizen Party (NCP) in Gopalganj, the hometown of Bangladesh's founding father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, resulting in at least four deaths and multiple injuries. The clashes involved supporters of the Awami League, led by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, with police and paramilitary forces firing gunshots to control the unrest. The violence followed a peaceful rally commemorating the one-year anniversary of the student-led uprising that had previously forced Hasina to flee to India. Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, the interim head of the NCP, condemned the attacks on peaceful protesters and blamed the Awami League and its student wing for the violence, which included vandalism and assaults on rally participants and media. Authorities imposed a 22-hour curfew and deployed additional Border Guard Bangladesh personnel to restore order and promised strict actions against those responsible. Rumors about plans to demolish Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's mausoleum may have exacerbated tensions, but the NCP continued its march amid the violent disruptions.