Police in Bangladesh clashed with student protesters attempting to impose a “complete shutdown” of the country on Thursday, following days of violent confrontations over a system of allocating government jobs. Media reports indicate that 19 more people died across the country during the unrest.
Dhaka-based leading Prothom Alo newspaper, known for its strong network of reporters across the country, reported by late Thursday night that they had received accounts of 19 deaths in Dhaka and elsewhere amid the escalating violence. The country’s leading English-language Daily Star also confirmed 19 deaths.
With the latest toll, the number of deaths has reached 25 since Tuesday when six others lost their lives in the violence. Authorities have not yet confirmed the figures immediately.
Prothom Alo also reported at least six people died in Dhaka’s Uttara area in the latest clashes between the protesters and security officials, along with ruling party activists. Thirteen others, including a Dhaka-based journalist from an online portal, died in other parts of the capital and elsewhere.
The country’s state-run Bangladesh Television station’s head office was attacked as the protesters broke the main gate, set the reception and a vehicle on fire, a news producer and a reporter told The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity as they were afraid of retaliation.
“I escaped by leaping over the wall, but some of my colleagues got stuck inside. They could not get out as the building set furniture on fire,” the producer said. He added that the television continued broadcasting, but some residents in the area feared for their safety and had to sleep in the school at home for the station.
The protests have been ongoing for weeks over the government’s quota system for government jobs, which students argue unfairly allocates 56% of jobs to selected groups including freedom fighters’ descendants, women, and marginalized ethnic groups. The protests have intensified since Sunday, with students blocking major roads and clashing with police and ruling party activists.
The situation in Bangladesh remains volatile, with reports of ongoing protests and violence. The government has called for calm and promised to review the quota system, but the students remain adamant in their demands for a complete overhaul.
AP Reports
