At least 12 prisoners were killed and hundreds of others freed in two jailbreaks in Bangladesh during days of chaos following the ouster of autocratic Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, officials told AFP on Saturday.
The interim government is struggling to restore law and order as police are on strike following Hasina’s sudden resignation and flight abroad after 15 years in power.
This week’s prison escape, which took place north of the capital Dhaka, is the latest in a series of incidents during nationwide unrest that led to his killing.
Six inmates were killed at Jamapur prison on Thursday when prison guards were attacked by escaped inmates, warden Abu Fatah told AFP.
“They attacked us with iron rods and sharp-edged weapons. They set my office on fire. Then they came out and tried to take all the 600 prisoners with them,” he said.
“We were forced to open fire. At least six inmates were killed, one of whom was stabbed to death.”
Fatah said security forces stopped the attack before anyone could escape.
Six other inmates were shot dead during a mass escape at a high-security prison in Kashimpur, just 30 kilometres (20 miles) north of Dhaka on Tuesday, warden Lutfor Rahman told AFP.
Rehman said the inmates attacked the guards using iron tools and iron rods and broke the main gate of the prison, prompting army personnel and prison guards to open fire.
“At least 203 prisoners also managed to escape,” he said.
The Kashimpur High Security Prison houses some of Bangladesh’s most notorious criminals, including Islamist extremists and murderers.
Rehman said none of the high-profile prisoners were able to escape from their cells.
There have been several prison escape attempts and successes in Bangladesh since protests against the Hasina government began last month.
More than 800 inmates escaped from a prison in the central district of Narsingdi in July when a mob of thousands attacked the British colonial-era institution and set the warden’s office on fire.
On Monday, the day of Hasina’s ouster, more than 500 prisoners escaped from a jail in the northern district of Sherpur.
Weeks of clashes between police and protesters before Hasina was ousted from power left more than 450 people dead, including dozens of police officers.
Police unions announced a strike on Tuesday and said they would not return to duty until their safety was assured.
According to the police force, more than half of the country’s police stations have reopened.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
