Thousands protest in Bangladesh against 52% fuel price hike

DPADhakaTens of thousands of opposition activists rallied in the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka on Thursday to protest against the government decision to raise fuel prices to a record level amid the global inflation triggered by Russia’s war on Ukraine.The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) of former prime minister Khaleda Zia organised the gathering, halting traffic in front of its headquarters in central Dhaka.Leaders and activists from other parts of the city and adjoining districts joined the rally in the afternoon, occupying the main road, lanes and side lanes.They carried party banners and chanted slogans against the government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for failing to check food prices, inflation and manage the other state affairs.The party announced nationwide protests for an indefinite period from the third week of this month to demand the resignation of the Hasina government, which assumed office in 2009.Organisers said the BNP protest was joined by more than 30,000 people. Police, however, put the figure to fewer than 10,000.Protests flared up in Dhaka after the government raised the fuel prices as much as 52 percent, the highest in the country’s history, last week.Prices of other essential commodities went up with the announcement of fuel price hike, and transport operators also started charging higher fares.As part of the austerity measures, the government has asked thousands of mosques to refrain from using air conditioners other than during prayer times, discouraged imports of non-essential products, reduced development spending and asked officials to ration car use to help reduce the pressure on foreign exchange reserves.