Dhaka : A week after the Bangladesh Supreme Court reduced the quotas that caused unrest leading to over 200 student protestors being killed, the country continues to simmer as the authorities are conducting ‘block raids’ rounding up people they suspect of being trouble makers. The situation is being termed as the worst since the country came into existence in 1971.

 “It is an impasse situation, the party in power and the government are trying to quell the movements – using police, rapid action battallions and armed forces. My student, Abu Syed, 25, fell to their bullets. The situation is tense even now as on the pretext of ‘block raids’ young people are being rounded up and put under detention in cells,’’ Professor Nazmul Ahsan Kalimullah, a political commentator in Bangladesh, told .

Abu Syed’s family has got a compensation of 9.5 lakh Taka. According to reports, fully armed police are knocking at doors in random order to comb out and arrest those  considered as trouble makers.

“Our statistics (we have the entire list) confirms that 266 people have died during these protests. We don’t consider the present government as legitimate. They are maintaining power through brutal force which has led to gross human rights violations.

The opposition too has been silenced. From being a mere student protest this is soon turning into a revolution against the government,’’ Pinaki Bhattacharya, exiled Bangladesh blogger, human rights activist told  .

“Ganabhaban, the official residence of the PM, has turned into a fortress with a five layer security. For the first time in the history of Bangladesh, there were helicopters used during the protests. Five of the top most student protestors have been jailed under safe custody.

There is a legal provision that if there is person seen wandering around suo moto he/she can be kept in safe custody,’’ Prof Kalimullah said adding that there are so many rumours floating around that one can’t keep a check on reality.

“This is a collective failure of all the stakeholders, if belligerent parties don’t come to their senses we will be in a deep soup,’” Professor lamented.  Meanwhile, nearly 7000 Indians living in Bangladesh (out of a total of 15000) have returned to India since the protests turned violent. India has maintained that what is happening in Bangladesh is their internal matter.