Deaths mount in Bangladesh amid reservation stir

Bangladeshi soldiers patrol the streets to disperse the anti-quota protesters in Dhaka on Saturday. Pic/AFP

Police imposed a strict curfew across Bangladesh and military forces patrolled parts of the capital Saturday to quell further violence after days of clashes over the allocation of government jobs left several people dead and hundreds injured.

The curfew follows what was likely the deadliest day yet in the weeks of protests despite a ban on public gatherings. Reports vary on the number of people killed Friday, with Somoy TV reporting 43. An Associated Press reporter saw 23 bodies at Dhaka Medical College and Hospital, but it was not immediately clear whether they all died on Friday. Another 22 people died on Thursday as protesting students attempted to impose a "complete shutdown" of the country. Several people were also killed Tuesday and Wednesday.

The protests, which began weeks ago but escalated sharply when violence erupted Tuesday, represent the biggest challenge to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina since she won a fourth consecutive term in office after elections in January that were boycotted by the main opposition groups.

Police and protesters clashed in the streets and at university campuses in Dhaka and other cities across Bangladesh. Authorities moved to block online communications by banning mobile and internet services. Some TV news channels also went off the air, and the websites of most Bangladesh newspapers were not loading or were being updated.

Authorities could not be reached immediately to confirm figures for the overall deaths, but the Daily Prothom Alo newspaper reported 103 people were killed since Tuesday.

A total of 778 Indian students have returned from Bangladesh through various land transit points, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Saturday as the neighbouring country continued to reel under deadly clashes.

Over 360 more citizens of India, Nepal and Bhutan crossed over to Meghalaya from violence-affected Bangladesh, taking the total number of people taking refuge in the state to over 670, officials said.

778
No. of Indian students who have returned so far

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