Bangladeshi soldiers imposed a curfew in Dhaka on Saturday, patrolling deserted streets and setting up roadblocks amid ongoing student-led protests against government job quotas.
The unrest, which has resulted in at least 110 deaths this week, led authorities to suspend internet and text messaging services on Thursday, effectively cutting off the nation from global communications.
John Heidemann, chief scientist at USC Viterbi’s Information Sciences Institute, noted the severity of the internet shutdown, likening it to measures taken during the Egyptian revolution of 2011.
Hospital reports indicate thousands have been injured in clashes across Bangladesh, with Dhaka Medical College Hospital alone receiving 27 bodies on Friday evening.
The protests, driven by high youth unemployment and frustration over job quotas, have seen police use tear gas and sound grenades to disperse demonstrators who have been hurling bricks and burning vehicles. These demonstrations are the largest since Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s recent re-election to a fourth term.
In response to the escalating violence, the government imposed a national curfew and deployed military personnel. The curfew was briefly relaxed on Saturday to allow essential activities, with soldiers stationed at checkpoints across Dhaka and strategic locations fortified with sandbag bunkers. The unrest erupted following the reinstatement of controversial job quotas, which had been scrapped in 2018 but were temporarily revived by a court order last month.
Incidents of arson and unrest continued over the weekend, including a jailbreak in Narsingdi where over 850 inmates were freed. The situation prompted Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud to cancel diplomatic visits abroad, and reports surfaced of arrests of opposition figures and student leaders involved in the protests.
International reactions have been critical of Bangladesh’s internet blackout and the use of force by security forces. The European Union expressed deep concern over the violence and loss of life, highlighting growing international scrutiny of the situation.
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