Photo by AFP
July 18, 2024
The Bangladeshi authorities have introduced a high-alert regime across the country. The internet has been shut down almost everywhere, and in some areas, telephone lines are not working. These measures are related to the student protests that have been going on for several days. As a result of violent clashes between protesters and police in the capital Dhaka, dozens of people have died and hundreds have been injured.
The building of state broadcaster BTV caught fire in Dhaka on Thursday, with authorities blaming protesters for the arson.
The TV company’s official Facebook page reported that there were people inside who, for some reason, could not get out. BTV management is asking for help from the fire department.
Bangladesh’s information minister said broadcasts had been stopped and most staff had left the building.
Students have taken to the streets to demand a change to the system under which a third of public sector jobs are reserved for relatives of veterans of the 1971 war of independence from Pakistan.
Students call the current system discriminatory and demand that hiring be based on the qualifications of each individual candidate.
Hundreds of people took to the streets in solidarity with Bangladeshi students in India. The All India Democratic Students’ Organization (AIDSO) organized mass marches in Kolkata.
Bloody Thursday
Photo by AFP
In an attempt to suppress the protests, authorities on Thursday cut off mobile internet across the country.
However, this did not help, on the contrary, according to doctors, the largest number of people died on Thursday. In total, 32 people have died since the beginning of the protests, independent sources say.
The BBC Bengali service has so far been able to confirm the deaths of 17 people, including a 32-year-old Dhaka Times journalist.
Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina called on students to remain calm the night before, but the situation only worsened on Thursday.
On Thursday, police used tear gas and rubber bullets against students who formed human chains across the streets.
According to a BTV representative, the students who stormed the television company’s building had previously set fire to a police station.
“They chased the police when they took refuge in the BTV building,” he told AFP. “The angry protesters wrecked havoc.”
According to the information minister, police and security services surrounded the building, but have not yet taken decisive forceful action.
However, this may become inevitable if students do not back down.
