Curfew continues in Bangladesh amid crackdown on protesters

DHAKA, Bangladesh/ISTANBUL

Curfew continued for a third consecutive day in Bangladesh on Monday as student protesters demanded the government issue a gazette notification on a new quota in public jobs.

According to student leaders of the ongoing anti-quota movement, the government should issue an order following the directions from the Supreme Court which reduced the quota in public jobs to 7%, including 5% for the progeny of war veterans.

Earlier, the 56% quota in public jobs had triggered a mass movement among students which resulted in violent clashes between protesters and government forces.

The death toll during violent demonstrations since last week climbed to 143 by Tuesday morning, health sources told Anadolu.

According to national daily Prothom Alo, at least 174 people, mostly students, were killed in the country since last Tuesday.

Thousands of others have been injured.

Police sources told Anadolu that more than 600 people have been arrested during the crackdown on protesters.

Those detained include student leaders and activists, who have called for shutdown in the country.

The student leaders have given 48 hours to the government "to restore normalcy."

The government extended curfew for an indefinite period “until situation improves,” said Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan.

Soldiers are patrolling the streets to assist civil administration to maintain law and order.

The government has also shut public offices until Tuesday while educational institutions were closed last week for an indefinite period.

“Protests are relatively less (today),” a local source told Anadolu over phone.

“But the crackdown is going on since Sunday night. Police and other forces are going to homes of students… young students and young boys are being picked up by government forces,” said the source, who wished to remain anonymous.

The government snapped broadband and mobile internet on Thursday and later imposed a nationwide curfew, deploying the military on Friday night, which still continues.

The country's foreign minister told diplomats on Sunday that the internet "may be restored in diplomatic zones in two-three days."

But "it would take time" to resume the internet services in the rest of the country, he said.

The Supreme Court on Sunday asked the administration of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to reduce the quota to 7% in public jobs.

However, a government order to implement the court order was yet to be issued, students said.

Protests surged last week against the 56% quota system, with the government closing educational institutions in response to the unrest.

Some 30% of the 56% quota in public jobs were reserved for the relatives of independence war veterans.

Due to internet blackout, the flow of information from Bangladesh has been minimal while most of local media has been unable to update their websites.

*Writing by Riyaz ul Khaliq in Istanbul