As many as 50 people have been killed in a fresh wave of agitation in Bangladesh. TV news channels went off the air, and telecommunications were widely disrupted across the nation amid violent student protests against government job quotas. The unrest plunged the South Asian country into chaos this week.
Three people died on Friday in renewed protests as authorities cut some mobile internet services in an attempt to quell the unrest. Hundreds were injured as police fired tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse groups of protesters who torched vehicles, police posts, and other establishments.
This nationwide agitation, the largest since Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was re-elected earlier this year, prompted the Army to intervene to help “maintain order.” Police and security officials fired bullets and tear gas at protesters, banning all gatherings in the capital on Friday while paramilitary forces were deployed across the country.
In a dramatic escalation, protesters set fire to several government buildings, including the headquarters of the state television network, trapping numerous individuals inside. Bangladesh’s information minister told the BBC that broadcasts had been stopped and most employees had left the building in the capital.
