Bangladesh deploys special forces as employees protest new rules

Dhaka remained tense on Tuesday as government employees continued with their protests inside the main government secretariat for the fourth consecutive day despite strict security measures taken by the law enforcement agencies.

Members of the special weapons and tactics unit were seen stationed at the main entrance of the secretariat, in addition to members of the Border Guard Bangladesh and Rapid Action Battalion, people based in Dhaka told ET.

Nobody, except for the officials and employees of the secretariat, was allowed to enter the premises, they said, adding that even local journalists were not allowed entry.

Protests are intensifying in Bangladesh also because business is sluggish, investment remains scarce and new jobs are not being created, according to the people.

Amid the chaos, on Tuesday, death row convict Jamaat-e-Islami leader ATM Azharul Islam was acquitted of the charges of crimes against humanity committed during the 1971 Liberation War. He was sentenced to death in 2014 by the International Crimes Tribunal, after having been accused of orchestrating mass killings in 1971.

Between March and December 1971, under Azharul Islam's leadership, victims were abducted and confined in Bangladesh's Rangpur Town Hall, which was used as a rape camp, according to one charge against the Jamaat leader.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh's interim government chief adviser Muhammad Yunus was scheduled to leave Dhaka early Wednesday on a four-day official visit to Japan to attend the 30th Nikkei Forum and hold talks with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba to boost bilateral cooperation.