Dhaka, Bangladesh – Thousands of students armed with sticks and rocks clashed with armed police as the Bangladesh authorities cut some mobile internet services in an attempt to quell protests against civil service hiring quotas.
Local media reported at least 17 fatalities during the protests across Bangladesh on Thursday. Eleven people, including a bus driver and a student, were killed in Dhaka. Hundreds more were wounded in the capital, according to police sources. The unrest also claimed lives in Narayanganj and Chattogram, with two deaths reported in each city.
The protests turned violent as police fired tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse the demonstrators. Protesters torched vehicles, police posts, and other establishments in Dhaka, witnesses told Reuters.
In response to the escalating violence, Zunaid Ahmed Palak, the junior information technology minister, announced a temporary suspension of mobile internet services to counter “various rumours” and the “unstable situation created” on social media. He assured that services would be restored once the situation normalized. However, hours later, several Bangladeshi news websites, including The Daily Star and Dhaka Tribune, were reported down.
Two days prior, internet providers had already restricted access to Facebook, a key tool for protest organization. Earlier confrontations saw police firing tear gas at students near BRAC University in Dhaka and deploying it against stone-throwing students blocking a main highway in Chattogram.
“The situation is still volatile and restless,” reported Al Jazeera’s Tanvir Chowdhury from Dhaka. “Protests are spreading in different parts of the city and the country.”
The unrest continued after students called for a nationwide shutdown on Wednesday evening, supported by the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), whose headquarters were raided by police.
As the situation develops, authorities and protestors remain in a tense standoff, with the international community closely monitoring the outcome.
SOURCE: AL JAZEERA AND NEWS AGENCIES