Bangladesh army enforces curfew as student-led protests spiral
Bangladesh soldiers patrolled Dhaka’s deserted streets on Saturday amid a curfew to quell deadly students-led protests against government job quotas that have killed at least 105 people this week.
Bangladesh soldiers patrolled Dhaka’s deserted streets on Saturday amid a curfew to quell deadly students-led protests against government job quotas that have killed at least 105 people this week.
Overseas telephone calls mostly failed to connect while websites of Bangladesh-based media organizations 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 Bangladesh. The Dhaka Medical College Hospital received 27 dead bodies between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. (1100-1200 GMT) on Friday.
For five days 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 fueled by high unemployment among young people, who make up nearly a fifth of the South Asian nation’s 170 million people.
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