Dhaka: A day of violent clashes across Bangladesh has left 702 people injured, including 104 police officers and 30 journalists, according to private broadcaster Independent Television. The confrontations on Thursday involved police and student protesters in 26 of the country’s 64 districts.
Protesters set fire to several government buildings and vehicles. A police statement noted the destruction of the offices of state broadcaster BTV, the national disaster management agency, and various police and government buildings. This statement was issued after a nationwide Internet shutdown on Thursday night, which severed Bangladesh’s communication lines with the outside world.
Police stated, “So far, we have shown maximum restraint,” but warned they would “be forced to make maximum use of law” if the destruction continued.
Thirty-nine people have died this week due to the clashes, with 32 fatalities on Thursday, the deadliest day of unrest so far. The violence was triggered by student protests over civil service hiring rules.
On Friday, the nationwide Internet shutdown continued to disrupt telecommunications. Overseas calls were mostly unconnected, Internet-based calls were not completed, and many Bangladesh-based newspaper websites and social media handles were inactive. Limited voice calls were functional, but mobile data, broadband, and SMS services were largely unavailable.
This nationwide agitation, the largest since Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s re-election, is driven by high youth unemployment, affecting nearly a fifth of the country’s 170 million people.
Protesters demand an end to the policy that reserves 30% of government jobs for families of those who fought in the 1971 war of independence from Pakistan. Although Hasina’s government abolished this quota in 2018, a high court reinstated it last month. The government has appealed the verdict, and the Supreme Court has suspended the high court order pending a hearing on August 7.
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