Student leader release fails to quell Bangladesh protests

A day after police freed six top members of the group which organised the initial protests, its leaders urged their compatriots to once again return to the streets.

Demonstrations in Bangladesh after Friday (Aug 2) prayers demanded justice for victims of nationwide unrest and police crackdown after the release of protest leaders failed to quell public anger.

Student rallies against civil service job quotas sparked days of mayhem that killed at least 206 people last month, according to an AFP count of police and hospital data.

The violence was some of the worst of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's 15-year tenure, and the actions of her government's security forces provoked widespread rancour at home and international criticism abroad.

A day after police freed six top members of the group which organised the initial protests, its leaders urged their compatriots to once again return to the streets.

"We want justice for the murders of our sisters and brothers," Students Against Discrimination said in a statement.

Thousands of young men in the capital Dhaka and the port city of Chittagong heeded the call after midday worship in the Muslim-majority nation, defying torrential monsoon rains.