Bangladesh unrest: Government imposes curfew as protests continue

Officials in Bangladesh have put a curfew in place across the entire country, following more violence in the city of Dhaka that resulted in 35 more deaths.

A series of protests and violent incidents have erupted after students demanded that the government eliminate a policy that prioritizes the families of veterans from the country's independence war in 1971 for public job positions.

The government's leader's office declared a curfew following an assault on Narsingdi prison on Friday that resulted in the escape of numerous prisoners.

According to Government Press Secretary Naeemul Islam Khan, the military will be sent out onto the streets to help bring back peace and order.

"The authorities have chosen to enforce a curfew and send in the military to assist civilian officials," he stated.

Approximately 67 individuals have lost their lives following the outbreak of violence. It is challenging to determine the exact number of casualties, as there is a severe lack of communication, with reports indicating that mobile internet and phone services are not operational.

Bus and train services have allegedly been stopped, and pictures from Dhaka show a significant amount of police officers in riot gear patrolling the streets.

Schools and colleges in Bangladesh have been closed indefinitely.

However, this has not deterred the demonstrators, who have pledged to persist with their "Complete Shutdown" and have blocked off multiple roads throughout the city.

On Friday, a group of students and parents gathered outside Dhaka University, chanting slogans like "merit, merit" and "we will not let our brothers' blood be forgotten."

The students are saying that the quota system is unfair, and want recruitment to be based on merit. Opponents argue that the system unfairly gives advantages to the families of pro-government organizations who back Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who secured her fourth consecutive election victory in January.

A protest planned by Islamist groups was met with tear gas, rubber bullets, and stun grenades.

Demonstrators also forcefully entered the Narsingdi district prison on Friday, causing several hundred prisoners to flee onto the streets. Numerous onlookers verified the situation to BBC Bangla.

The primary rival political party in Bangladesh, the Bangladesh National Party, has also requested demonstrations, with the exiled interim leader Tarique Rahman urging the public to stand with "these compassionate students" in a message on Twitter.

The party confirmed that one of its top leaders, Ruhul Kabir Rizvi Ahmed, has been arrested. The police did not provide any explanation for why Mr. Rizvi was taken into custody.

Efforts to stop the protests through negotiations have not been successful up to this point.

Minister of Law Anisul Haque informed BBC Bangla that the government is willing to have conversations about the matters at hand. He expressed confidence that they are also deliberating on whether or not they will participate in the discussions.

However, Nahid Iqbal, a student, informed the BBC on Thursday that they are currently not interested in participating in the discussions.

The government has taken so many lives in a single day that we are unable to participate in any conversations given the current situation.

Earlier today, Dhaka Metropolitan Police Commissioner Shafiqul Islam informed the BBC that the authorities have chosen to prohibit gatherings in the city in order to safeguard lives and properties after the turmoil on Thursday.

On their own, the police told BBC Bangla that two individuals had passed away on Friday.

The police reported that 100 officers were hurt on Thursday, while a government official stated that multiple vehicles parked outside government offices were set ablaze.

The conflicts have not only occurred in Dhaka, but have also been reported in 26 other districts.

The demonstrators who took over and set fire to the local television station BTV had departed by Friday morning, but the channel had yet to resume broadcasting.

An experienced journalist informed BBC Bangla that the newsroom, studio, and cafeteria were all harmed in the fire that occurred on Thursday.

Extra information provided by BBC Bangla