Bangladesh blocks roads and internet, deploys army to curb protests

[July 20, 2024]  By Sam Jahan and Sudipto Ganguly

DHAKA (Reuters) - Bangladesh soldiers patrolled the deserted streets of the capital Dhaka on Saturday and set up roadblocks during a curfew meant to quell deadly students-led protests against government job quotas that have killed at least 110 people this week.

Internet and text message services have been suspended since Thursday, cutting the South Asian nation off from the rest of the world as police cracked down on protests that have continued despite a ban on public gatherings.

Overseas telephone calls mostly failed to connect while websites of Bangladesh-based media organizations did not update and their social media handles remained inactive.

"To take a country of nearly 170 million people off the Internet is a drastic step, one we haven't seen the likes of since the Egyptian revolution of 2011," said John Heidemann, chief scientist of the networking and cybersecurity division at USC Viterbi's Information Sciences Institute.

In addition to the deaths, the clashes have injured thousands, according to data from hospitals across Bangladesh. The Dhaka Medical College Hospital received 27 dead bodies between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. (1100-1200 GMT) on Friday.

For five days police have fired tear gas and hurled sound grenades to scatter protesters as demonstrators clashed with security personnel, throwing bricks and igniting vehicles.

The demonstrations - the biggest since Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was re-elected for a fourth successive term this year - have also been fuelled by high unemployment among young people, who make up nearly a fifth of the South Asian nation's 170 million people.

With the death toll climbing and police and other security forces unable to contain the protests, Hasina's government imposed the national curfew and deployed the military.

The curfew was eased for two hours from noon on Saturday to allow people to shop for supplies and complete other chores, television channels reported. It will last until 10 a.m. (0400 GMT) on Sunday, when the government will assess the situation and decide the next course of action, the reports added.

Those venturing out on the streets had their identification cards inspected by army personnel at different check points, TV footage showed. Troops set up roadblocks and bunkers using sandbags across strategic locations of Dhaka, the centre of the anti-quota protests.

A demonstrator gestures as protesters clash with Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and the police outside the state-owned Bangladesh Television as violence erupts across the country after anti-quota protests by students, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, July 19, 2024. REUTERS/Mohammad Ponir Hossain

The nationwide unrest broke out over student anger against the controversial quotas for government jobs, including 30% for the families of those who fought for independence from Pakistan.

Hasina's government had scrapped the quota system in 2018, but a court reinstated it last month. The state appealed against the reinstatement and the Supreme Court suspended it for a month, pending a hearing on Aug. 7.

In the central Dhaka district of Narsingdi, protesters stormed a jail on Friday, freeing over 850 inmates and setting fire to the facility, TV channels reported, citing police. Scattered incidents of arson were also reported on Saturday in some parts of the country.

Hasina dropped plans to leave on Sunday for diplomatic visits to Spain and Brazil due to the protests, the office of Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud said.

Many opposition party leaders, activists and student protesters had been arrested, said Tarique Rahman, the exiled acting chairman of the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party. Police arrested Nahid Islam, a leading coordinator of the students' agitation, at 2 a.m. on Saturday, the protesters said in a text message.

Reuters could not independently confirm the arrests.

Neighboring India said nearly 1,000 Indian students have returned home through various land ports and flights since the violence began.

International rights groups have criticised the internet suspension and actions of security forces. The European Union said it is deeply concerned by the violence and loss of life.

(Rporting by Sam Jahan in Dhaka and Sudipto Ganguly in Mumbai; Additional reporting by Shilpa Jamkhandikar in Mumbai and Mohammad Ponir Hossain in Dhaka; Writing by Sudipto Ganguly; Editing by Sam Holmes and William Mallard)

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