July 24, 2024: Tense calm, fresh arrests, lingering grief

At least 787 more people were arrested in the capital and other districts in the 36 hours leading up to 6:00pm on July 24, in connection with cases filed over violence across the country. Of them, 413 were arrested in Dhaka, while the remaining 374 were detained in eight districts and metropolitan areas, according to police and court sources.

Amid the fragile return of daily life, business and industrial activities cautiously resumed, following days of unrest, internet blackout, and curfew. Yet the scars ran deep.

After five days of disappearance, three student leaders -- Asif Mahmud, Abu Bakar Mazumder, and Rifat Rashid -- resurfaced. Asif and Bakar wrote on Facebook that they had been blindfolded and dumped in Hatirjheel and Dhanmondi respectively. Neither disclosed who had taken them. Rifat, too, posted on Facebook, claiming he had "narrowly escaped" an enforced disappearance.

Meanwhile, tragedy struck Narayanganj, where six-year-old Riya Gope, who had been shot while playing on the rooftop of her home on July 19, passed away at Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) in the morning. Her father, Dipak Kumar Gope, had rushed to the rooftop amid clashes to bring her inside when a bullet hit her in the back of the head. Despite surgery, Riya could not be saved.

Riya was among four victims injured in earlier clashes who succumbed to their wounds on July 24. The others included Sajidur Rahman Omar, 22, an IT technician from Demra; Shahjahan, a salesperson from Mohakhali; and Tuhin Ahmed, 26.

Though inter-district bus services resumed, full normalcy in passenger transport across the capital and country remained elusive. Authorities said Dhaka Metro Rail and the Dhaka Elevated Expressway would remain closed for a few more days. Bangladesh Railway, which had planned to resume limited train services the following day, postponed its decision later that night.

On the political front, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir reiterated that the movement would not end without a political solution. Speaking at a press conference, he stated that common people had joined the student protests out of long-standing frustration.

Jatiya Party Chairman GM Quader accused the government of double standards, pointing out that while officials claimed to have met student demands and ensured their safety, many students remained missing or arrested.

International condemnation also intensified. Human Rights Watch denounced the life sentences handed down by a UAE court to three Bangladeshi nationals who had joined peaceful solidarity protests on July 19. A total of 57 Bangladeshis were reportedly detained, raising serious human rights concerns.

The government restored broadband internet on a trial basis nationwide, but mobile internet remained suspended, and curfew measures continued. Officials hinted that schools and universities might reopen, and curfew might be lifted in most areas after July 26, depending on conditions, as the previous weekend's violence remained fresh in memory.