DHAKA: Police imposed a strict curfew with a "shoot-on-sight" order across Bangladesh as military forces patrolled parts of the capital Saturday after scores were killed and hundreds injured in clashes over the allocation of civil service jobs.
This week's violence has killed at least 115 people so far and poses a monumental challenge to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's autocratic government after 15 years in office.
The curfew began at midnight and was relaxed from noon to 2 p.m. for people to run essential errands, and is expected to last until 10 a.m. Sunday, allowing officers to fire on mobs in extreme cases, said lawmaker Obaidul Quader, the general secretary of the ruling Awami League party.
The streets of Dhaka were almost deserted at daybreak, with troops on foot and in armoured personnel carriers patrolling the sprawling megacity of 20 million.
The demonstrations—called for mainly by student groups—started weeks ago to protest a quota system that reserves up to 30% of government jobs for relatives of veterans who fought in Bangladesh's war of independence in 1971. Violence erupted Tuesday, with the Daily Prothom Alo newspaper reporting the death of at least 103 people, but that number has risen.
Friday was likely to be the deadliest day so far; Somoy TV reported 43 killed, while an Associated Press reporter saw 23 bodies at Dhaka Medical College and Hospital, but it was not immediately clear whether they all died on Friday. On Thursday, 22 others were reported dead as protesting students attempted to "completely shut down" the country.
The United States Embassy in Dhaka said Friday that reports indicated "hundreds to possibly thousands" were injured across Bangladesh. It said the situation was "extremely volatile."
Bangladeshi authorities haven't shared any official numbers of those killed and injured.
Officials said the curfew was to quell further violence after police and protesters clashed in the streets and at university campuses in Dhaka and other cities across the South Asian country. Authorities blocked online communications by banning mobile and internet services. Several television news channels also went off the air, and the websites of most local newspapers were down. Meanwhile, some key government websites, including Bangladesh's central bank and the prime minister's office, appeared to have been hacked and defaced.
Local media also reported that some 800 inmates fled from a prison in Narsingdi, a district north of the capital, after protesters stormed the facility and set it on fire Friday.
The chaos highlights cracks in Bangladesh's governance and economy and the frustration of youths who lack good jobs upon graduation. They also represent the biggest challenge to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina since she won a fourth consecutive term in office after January's elections, boycotted by the main opposition groups.
Protesters argue the quota system is discriminatory and benefits supporters of Hasina, whose Awami League party led the independence movement, saying it should be replaced with a merit-based system. Hasina has defended the quota system, saying that veterans deserve the highest respect for their contributions in the war against Pakistan, regardless of their political affiliation.
Representatives from both sides met late Friday in an attempt to reach a resolution. At least three student leaders were present and demanded the reform of the current quota system, the reopening of student dormitories shut down by the police following the clashes, and for some university officials to step down after failing to protect campuses from the violence. Law Minister Anisul Huq said late Friday that the government was open to discussing their demands.
The main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party has backed the protests, vowing Friday to organise its own demonstrations as many of its supporters joined the students' protests. However, BNP said in a statement that its followers were not responsible for the violence and denied the ruling party's accusations of using the protests for political gain.
The Awami League and the BNP have often accused each other of fueling political chaos and violence, most recently ahead of the country's national election, which was marred by a crackdown on several opposition figures. Hasina's government had accused the opposition party of attempting to disrupt the vote.
In 2018, the government halted the job quotas following mass student protests. But in June, Bangladesh's High Court nullified that decision and reinstated the quotas after relatives of 1971 veterans filed petitions.
The Supreme Court suspended the ruling, pending an appeal hearing, and said in a statement it would take the issue up on Sunday.
Hasina has called on protesters to wait for the court's verdict.
'Not about students anymore'
Critics say the scheme benefits children of pro-government groups that back Hasina, 76, who has ruled the country since 2009 and won her fourth consecutive election in January after a vote without genuine opposition.
Hasina's government is accused by rights groups of misusing state institutions to entrench its hold on power and stamp out dissent, including by the extrajudicial killing of opposition activists.
Since the first deaths on Tuesday, protesters have begun demanding Hasina leave office.
"It's not about the rights of the students anymore," business owner Hasibul Sheikh, 24, told AFP at the scene of the Rampura protest.
"We are here as the general public now," he added. "Our demand is one point now, and that's the resignation of the government."
Pierre Prakash of Crisis Group told AFP that the lack of competitive elections since Hasina took office had led to mounting public frustration.
"With no real alternative at the ballot box, discontented Bangladeshis have few options besides street protests to make their voices heard," he said.
'Shocking indictment'
Hospitals and police reported an additional 10 deaths to AFP on Saturday from clashes the previous day, with 105 other deaths reported since Tuesday.
Police fire was the cause of more than half of the deaths reported so far this week, based on descriptions given to AFP by hospital staff.
"The rising death toll is a shocking indictment of the absolute intolerance shown by the Bangladeshi authorities to protest and dissent," Babu Ram Pant of Amnesty International said in a statement.
Authorities imposed a nationwide internet shutdown on Thursday, which remains in effect, severely hampering communication in and out of Bangladesh.
Government websites remain offline and major newspapers, including the Dhaka Tribune and Daily Star, have been unable to update their social media platforms since Thursday.
Bangladesh Television, the state broadcaster, also remains offline after its Dhaka headquarters was set on fire by protesters the same day.
