A journalist’ diary: Seconds away from being lynched by an angry mob

A burned vehicle in front of Abul Hotel, Malibagh. Protesters were seen in the intersection on Saturday. Photo: Masum Billah

The helicopter was not in the scene yet. But the deafening sound grenade raining down from the helicopter on Abul Hotel on Rampura Road, occupied by thousands of protesters, dispersed the crowd. Protesters began to run for their lives - fear and rage equally vibrating on their faces - entering any alleyway they thought could save them from the helicopter.

"They are shooting at us. Why are you running? Go take photos of the helicopter," one of the raging protesters shouted at me while I was taking cover. The helicopter was in the scene by this time, flying not so high; yet the sound grenade aimed at protesters dwarfed the sound of the earsplitting copter.

It was the third consecutive day of quota reform protests turning violent. After six protesters were killed on Tuesday, the students called for a 'complete shutdown' of the country on Thursday.

Students from all across the country, especially in Dhaka, marched out on to the streets demanding justice for the loss of lives on Thursday. But the protests turned violent as security forces retaliated in kind. Violence escalated to an extent that has not been seen in Bangladesh in decades.

On Friday afternoon while visiting Abul Hotel, I witnessed a burned vehicle just outside the South Point School and College. Dozens of people were roaming around. On the main road, thousands of people - from children to adult - were taking position.  

Five minutes into talking and taking some photos of the protesters, one teenaged boy approached me and shouted, "You are spreading lies in our names on television. You are liars. Why are you here? Why don't you go near the police posts where they are killing us?"

Seconds after the boy shouted out his accusations, at least 50 people circled me and started piling on: 'journalists are lying about the events and deaths tolls', 'journalists are working as puppets of the government' etc. And their voices were growing louder.

Even after defending myself and stating that I was not a television journalist and showing my identity card – they didn't back down. I felt a hand on my neck and immediately realised that one punch thrown at me at that point meant I would be lynched in five minutes.

The anger in the eyes of these boys were loud and clear.

So I immediately pleaded with an older guy in the crowd to get me out of there, or it would not end well for me. He somehow took pity on my predicament, asked the protesters to calm down and escorted me out, after they forced me to delete every photo I took of the spot. I had a shot of a kid without shirt chanting slogans – an eerie reproduction of an iconic photo from the past – which had to be sacrificed.

"We have taken control of the entire area. Go to Badda, they are shooting at us there," said a protestor as I departed from the crowd.

Right at that moment, the helicopter emerged overhead and launched sound grenades [protesters claimed they shot rubber bullets too] to disperse the crowd.

The crowd, however, returned to their positions soon after the copter left the area.  

It was the second day of internet blackout. No information, whatsoever, were available to anyone on the street about what was happening in other places across the country; how many were shot or killed. They didn't believe numbers scrolling on television channels.

Five hours before the Abul Hotel incident, an asymmetric fight had broken out in the Malibagh Railgate – Mouchak – Mogbazar – Malibagh Mor area.

Putting on a fiber bullet protective vest - newly bought at an inflated price from a Paltan market - I imagined the protection was enough.

A common practice of the Bangladeshi journalists is to remain behind the police during clashes for protection. I was standing just in the middle of Mouchak Mor, behind five to six police personnel with an armed vehicle. Clearly outnumbered by the protesters, they tried to step forward to join their force in trouble in Malibagh Railgate.

No sooner had they stepped forward, protesters from over the flyover and a side lane in Malibagh started throwing stones at them. Without protective headgear, a shot from these stones could result in significant injury.

The clashes between the protesters and police went on for several minutes. The police retreated with their armed vehicle to Razarbagh, waiting for reinforcement. The protesters then took over the area, tore apart the traffic police boxes, blocked the surrounding roads and set fires on the roads.

Meanwhile, the effect from haphazard tear shells and sound grenades were palpable in the air. The protesters and the journalists had tears in their eyes, and their faces were burning from its effects.

The police force came back with reinforcement, but eventually the protesters took over much of the areas in Malibagh, Abul Hotel, Rampura to Badda. At least 56 people were killed on Friday.