Fearing reprimand, student protesters in Bangladesh go silent

On July 29, Bangladeshi students spontaneously launched a protest movement demanding safer roads and traffic enforcement in the country, after two students were hit and killed by a municipal bus.

Over the course of a week, tens of thousands of students from 6th grade to university level filled the streets, chanting for road security and even directing traffic to prove their point. The protests were widely followed by international media, with Bangladeshi students using hashtags like #CNN #ALJAZEERA #REUTERS and other global media tags to draw attention their cause.

Demonstrations began peacefully but turned violent on August 3 when rumors of ruling party student wing and the police abusing and kidnapping students triggered confrontations between police and protesters, with police resorting to tear gas and rubber bullets.

In a few days’ time, nearly 1,000 people were wounded, among them 45 police personnel.

Social media blamed for rumors
Use of social media to spread rumors and disinformation generally has been on the rise in Bangladesh, particularly via Facebook, which is the most popular social media platform in the country — in fact, Bangladesh's capital Dhaka has the second highest number of Facebook users per capita among major cities across the world.

Rumors of police abuse also led to clashes between protesters and the student wing of the ruling party. Soon thereafter, a group representing the student protest visited the headquarters of the ruling party and found no evidence of students being held.

The government has blamed social media users and activists for trying to create unrest by sharing provocative posts and content on Facebook. On August 5, in the heat of the protests, police arrested 22 students on vandalism charges.

The government also arrested Shahidul Alam, an acclaimed photographer and civic activist, who had been documenting the assaults on students and journalists. His arrest has been condemned by local and international organizations.