In response to escalating violence, soldiers were deployed across Bangladesh on Saturday after lethal clashes between student protesters and police led Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to cancel her planned diplomatic tour.
This week's unrest has resulted in at least 115 deaths, according to an AFP tally of reports from police and hospitals. The violence presents a significant challenge to Hasina's government, which has maintained power for 15 years.
A government-imposed curfew began at midnight, and the military was called to restore order after police efforts proved insufficient. "The army has been deployed nationwide to control the law and order situation," armed forces spokesman Shahdat Hossain told AFP.
The curfew will remain in place until at least 10:00 am Sunday (0400 GMT), as reported by private broadcaster Channel 24. On Friday, “hundreds of thousands of people” clashed with police across Dhaka, the capital, according to police spokesman Faruk Hossain. He reported that 150 police officers were hospitalized, with an additional 150 receiving first aid, and noted that two officers were beaten to death. "The protesters torched many police booths and government offices," Hossain said.
At daybreak, the streets of Dhaka, a city of 20 million, were nearly deserted as troops patrolled on foot and in armored vehicles. Despite the curfew, hundreds of protesters gathered in the Rampur neighborhood but were quickly dispersed by police using rubber bullets, according to an AFP journalist on the scene.
A representative for Students Against Discrimination, the primary group organizing the protests, reported that two of its leaders were arrested since Friday. Additionally, Sairul Islam Khan, a spokesman for the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), confirmed that a second senior BNP official was arrested early Saturday.
The violence reached Rangpur on Friday night, where three protesters were killed as thousands besieged a police base, according to a senior police official.
Prime Minister Hasina, who was scheduled to begin a diplomatic tour to Spain and Brazil on Sunday, canceled her trip due to the escalating violence, her press secretary Nayeemul Islam Khan told AFP.
The protests have primarily focused on the government’s quota system, which reserves more than half of civil service jobs for specific groups, including descendants of veterans from the 1971 liberation war against Pakistan. Critics argue the system benefits pro-government factions loyal to Hasina, who has been in power since 2009 and secured her fourth consecutive term in January's unopposed election.
Rights groups accuse Hasina’s government of using state institutions to solidify its power and suppress dissent, including through extrajudicial killings of opposition activists. Since the initial deaths on Tuesday, protestors have called for Hasina’s resignation.
"Frustration has been mounting in Bangladesh because the country has not had a genuinely competitive national election for more than 15 years," said Pierre Prakash of Crisis Group. "With no real alternative at the ballot box, discontented Bangladeshis have few options besides street protests to make their voices heard."
Hospitals and police reported an additional 10 deaths to AFP on Saturday from the previous day's clashes, bringing the total to 115 deaths since Tuesday. Over half of the fatalities were attributed to police fire, according to hospital staff.
"The rising death toll is a shocking indictment of the absolute intolerance shown by the Bangladeshi authorities to protest and dissent," stated Babu Ram Pant of Amnesty International.
A nationwide internet shutdown imposed on Thursday remains in effect, severely disrupting communication within and outside Bangladesh. Government websites are offline, and major newspapers like the Dhaka Tribune and Daily Star have been unable to update their social media platforms. The state broadcaster, Bangladesh Television, also remains offline after its Dhaka headquarters was set ablaze by protesters.
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