Dhaka:
In a dramatic escalation of violence, Bangladeshi students set fire to the state broadcaster's headquarters on Thursday, following an appeal by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for calm amidst mounting unrest. The protests, which have so far resulted in at least 32 deaths, highlight deep-seated discontent with government policies and actions.
Hundreds of protesters demanding reforms in civil service hiring rules clashed with riot police, who responded with rubber bullets. The enraged crowd then chased the retreating officers to the headquarters of Bangladesh Television (BTV) in the capital, Dhaka. The protesters set ablaze the network’s reception building and dozens of vehicles parked outside.
According to a Facebook post by the broadcaster, "many people" were trapped inside as the fire spread. However, an official later confirmed to AFP that they had safely evacuated the building. "The fire is still going on," the official said. "We have come out to the main gate. Our broadcast has been shut down for now."
In response to the violence,
Prime Minister Hasina's government has ordered schools and universities to close indefinitely. The police are intensifying efforts to restore law and order. On Wednesday night, Hasina appeared on BTV condemning the "murder" of protesters and vowed to punish those responsible, regardless of their political affiliations. Despite her appeal for calm, the violence escalated with police using rubber bullets and tear gas to disperse the demonstrators.
"Our first demand is that the prime minister must apologise to us," said Bidisha Rimjhim, an 18-year-old protester. "Secondly, justice must be ensured for our killed brothers," she added.
According to hospital reports compiled by AFP, at least 25 people were killed on Thursday in addition to the seven deaths reported earlier in the week. Hundreds more have been wounded. The majority of deaths were caused by police weaponry, with rubber bullets and gunshot injuries reported by hospital officials. An official at Uttara Crescent Hospital in Dhaka, who wished to remain anonymous for fear of reprisal, confirmed, "We've got seven dead here. The first two were students with rubber bullet injuries. The other five had gunshot injuries."
Nearly 1,000 others have been treated for injuries sustained during the clashes. Didar Malekin of Dhaka Times reported that Mehedi Hasan, one of his reporters, was killed while covering the clashes in Dhaka.
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The violence has not been confined to Dhaka.
Several cities across Bangladesh have witnessed unrest as riot police confront protesters who have established human blockades on roads and highways. At Canadian University, one of the sites of the fiercest clashes, 60 police officers were rescued from the roof of a campus building by helicopters, according to the Rapid Action Battalion police force.
The protests initially focused on demanding an end to a quota system that reserves more than half of civil service posts for specific groups, including children of veterans from the country’s 1971 liberation war against Pakistan. Critics argue that this system disproportionately benefits children of pro-government groups that support Hasina, who has ruled since 2009 and secured her fourth consecutive election victory in January.
Mubashar Hasan,
a Bangladesh expert at the University of Oslo, noted that the protests have grown into a broader expression of discontent with Hasina’s rule. "They are protesting against the repressive nature of the state," he told AFP. "Protesters are questioning Hasina's leadership, accusing her of clinging onto power by force. The students are, in fact, calling her a dictator."
Compounding the unrest, Bangladeshis reported widespread mobile internet outages on Thursday, following an earlier move by internet providers to cut off access to Facebook—the key organizing platform for the protests. Junior telecommunications minister Zunaid Ahmed Palak stated that social media had been "weaponised as a tool to spread rumours, lies, and disinformation," necessitating government intervention.
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As police crackdowns continue, clashes between demonstrators and students allied with the ruling Awami League have further intensified, with reports of bricks and bamboo rods being used as weapons.
The situation in Bangladesh remains volatile as the country grapples with one of the most severe episodes of unrest in recent years.
