A nationwide curfew has been imposed in Bangladesh in view of the on-going students’ protest against reservation for certain sections in government jobs, reports said.
On Friday, the Sheikh Hasina government also ordered the deployment of military forces to maintain order following the deadly in many parts of the country.
According to reports, at least 105 people have been killed and over 1,500 got injured in the clashes so far.
The curfew in the country was announced by Obaidul Quader, general secretary of the ruling Awami League party, who said it was being done to help the civilian administration to maintain order.
The decision came hours after police and security officials fired bullets and lobbed tear gas on protesters and banned all gatherings in Dhaka, the capital city of Bangladesh.
The agitated students have been holding protests in Dhaka and other major cities against the reservation system in public sector jobs, including that for the relatives of war heroes, who fought for the country’s independence from Pakistan in 1971.
They argue the system is discriminatory and benefits supporters of Hasina.
However, the prime minister has defended the quota system, saying that veterans deserve the highest respect for their contributions to the war regardless of their political affiliation.
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The situation turned ugly turn on Thursday after demonstrators set fire to the country’s state broadcaster.
Following the violence, the metro rail inside the capital alongside the railway services to and from Dhaka were shut.
The government also ordered the shutdown of mobile internet networks in several parts of the country.
Meanwhile, schools, universities and other are shut indefinitely.
Reports said websites of several Bangladesh newspapers faced trouble and did not update and were also inactive on social media, according to Reuters.
News television channels went off the air, although entertainment channels were normal.
Some of them displayed messages blaming technical problems and promising to resume programming soon.
