Students clash with riot police during a protest against the government’s job quota system, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Thursday, July 18, 2024.
Rajib Dhar/AP
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Rajib Dhar/AP
DHAKA, Bangladesh — Police have imposed a strict curfew with “shoot on sight” orders across the country. Bangladesh as military forces patrolled parts of the capital on Saturday after dozens of people were killed and hundreds injured in conflict over the allocation of civil servants’ work.
The curfew began at midnight and was eased from noon to 2 p.m. to allow people to run essential errands, and is expected to last until 10 a.m. Sunday, allowing police to fire on crowds in serious cases, according to lawmaker Obaidul Quader, secretary general of the ruling Awami League party.
The protests — largely called by student groups — began weeks ago to protest a quota system that reserves up to 30 percent of government jobs for relatives of veterans who fought in the war. Bangladesh’s War of Independence in 1971. Violence erupted on TuesdayThe Daily Prothom Alo newspaper reported that at least 103 people were killed.
Friday is likely to be the deadliest day So far; Somoy TV reported 43 deaths, while an Associated Press reporter saw 23 bodies at Dhaka Medical College and Hospital, but it was unclear whether all of them died as of Friday. On Thursday, another 22 people were reported dead as student protesters attempted to “completely shut down” the country.
The US embassy in Dhaka said on Friday that there were reports of “hundreds to thousands” of people injured across Bangladesh. It said the situation was “extremely volatile”.
Bangladeshi authorities have not shared any official figures on the number of deaths and injuries.
Officials said the curfew was imposed to quell violence after police and protesters clashed on the streets and at universities in Dhaka and other cities across the South Asian country. Authorities have blocked online media by blocking mobile and internet services. Several television news channels have also stopped broadcasting and the websites of most local newspapers have gone offline. Meanwhile, several key government websites, including the Bangladesh central bank and the prime minister’s office, appear to have been hacked and defaced.
Local media also reported that about 800 inmates escaped from a prison in Narsingdi, a district north of the capital, after protesters stormed the facility and set it on fire on Friday.
Highlights of the chaos Cracks in Bangladesh’s governance and economy and the frustration of young people who do not have good jobs after graduation. They also represent the biggest challenge to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina since she took office. won the fourth consecutive term took office after January elections, boycotted by the main opposition groups.
Protesters say the quota system is discriminatory and favors supporters of Hasina, whose Awami League party led the independence movement, and say it should be replaced with a merit-based system. Hasina has defended the quota system, saying veterans deserve the highest respect for their contributions to the war against Pakistan, regardless of their political affiliation.
Representatives from both sides met late Friday to try to reach a solution. At least three student leaders were present, demanding reforms to the current quota system, the reopening of student dormitories that were closed by police after clashes, and the resignation of several university officials who failed to protect campuses from violence. Law Minister Anisul Huq said late Friday that the government was ready to discuss their demands.
The main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party has backed the protests, announcing on Friday that it would hold its own rallies as many of its supporters joined the student demonstrations. However, the BNP said in a statement that its followers were not responsible for the violence and denied the ruling party’s accusations that it was exploiting the protests for political gain.
The Awami League and the BNP have often accused each other of fomenting political turmoil and violence, most recently ahead of the country’s national elections, which were marred by suppression of some opposition figuresMs Hasina’s government has accused the opposition party of trying to sabotage the vote.
In 2018, the government suspended the job quotas after student protests. But in June, the Bangladesh Supreme Court overturned that decision and reinstated the quotas after a petition from relatives of 1971 veterans. The Supreme Court has suspended the ruling pending an appeal hearing and said in a statement that it would take up the matter on Sunday.
Hasina has urged protesters to wait for the court’s verdict.
