DHAKA: Bangladesh soldiers patrolled the deserted streets of capital Dhaka on Saturday and set up roadblocks during a curfew meant to quell deadly student-led protests against government job quotas that have killed at least 114 people this week.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government declared Sunday and Monday as “public holidays” due to the situation in the country, with only emergency services allowed to operate.
Authorities had earlier closed universities and colleges from Wednesday. Overseas telephone calls mostly failed to connect while websites of Bangladesh-based media organisations did not update and their social media handles remained inactive.
In addition to the deaths, the clashes have injured thousands, according to data from hospitals across the country. The Dhaka Medical College Hospital received 27 dead bodies between 5 pm and 7 pm on Friday. For five days, the police have fired tear gas and hurled sound grenades to scatter protesters as demonstrators clashed with security personnel, throwing bricks and igniting vehicles.
The demonstrations — the biggest since Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was re-elected for a fourth successive term this year — have also been fuelled by high unemployment among young people, who make up nearly a fifth of the South Asian nation’s 170 million people.
With the death toll climbing and the security forces unable to contain the protests, Hasina’s government imposed the national curfew and deployed the military. The curfew was eased for two hours from noon on Saturday to allow people to shop for supplies and complete other chores, television channels reported. It will last until 10 am on Sunday, when the government will assess the situation and decide the next course of action, the reports added.