Last updated on August 27th, 2024 at 07:44 pm
Violent protests in Bangladesh continued Friday as the death toll mounted to 64, with students clashing with police over a reinstated government job quota. The unrest is one of the major challenges to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s fourth term.
Since Monday, the agitation has blown out of proportion, pitting the sharpest challenge to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina since she won her fourth consecutive term in office. The protests could further drag the economy at a time when Bangladesh is chasing funds from creditors and the International Monetary Fund to shore up its depleting foreign-exchange reserves.
- Latest Updates:
- Student protesters stormed a jail, freed hundreds of inmates, and set the facility on fire in the central Bangladeshi district of Narsingdi. “The inmates fled the jail and the protesters set the jail on fire. I don’t know the number of inmates, but it would be in the hundreds,” a police officer told AFP.
- A government-ordered blackout of the internet, which started on Thursday, is still in place. Local media reports indicate that the blackout has affected ATM services and mobile money companies.
- On Friday, protesters set fire to several government buildings, including the state broadcaster, a national disaster management agency, and a toll plaza. The official Bangladesh police website was defaced by hackers showing messages saying, “It is a war for justice, for freedom, and for our future.”
- The authorities have suspended bus and train services and closed schools and universities nationwide. These measures continued through Friday.
- India has termed it as an ‘internal matter’ for Bangladesh. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar sent a message ensuring that all Indian citizens in Bangladesh are safe. An advisory for Indian nationals has been issued and the activated helpline numbers.
- Several demonstrations have occurred in Dhaka over the past week, even though a police ban on public gatherings was enforced on Friday. The tens of thousands of young, angry Bangladeshis who take to the streets every day no longer demand a change in policy; they demand an end to Hasina’s tenure.
- Police and paramilitary forces of the government were deployed across the capital to lock down campuses during the protest. Police and security officials in Bangladesh have reportedly fired bullets and tear gas at protesters on Friday.
