Students in Dhaka have resumed protests despite a ban on public gatherings, following a day of violence that resulted in numerous fatalities. Planned symbolic funeral processions will honor at least 25 individuals who died in Thursday’s clashes, raising the total death toll to 31, although exact numbers are hard to confirm due to a widespread communications blackout, including disrupted mobile internet and telephone services.
Authorities are attempting to suppress the unrest, which stems from demands to abolish a job quota for families of veterans from the 1971 independence war. The protests have led to a halt in bus and train services, with a visible police presence and the closure of schools and universities.
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Nevertheless, the protests continue, with students engaging in a “Complete Shutdown” by blocking city roads. On Friday, demonstrators, including students and parents, gathered outside Dhaka University, chanting slogans against the quota system and calling for merit-based recruitment. Meanwhile, a march by Islamist groups faced a harsh response from the authorities, including tear gas and rubber bullets.
The Bangladesh National Party, the main opposition group, has also urged people to protest. The party reported that one of its senior leaders, Ruhul Kabir Rizvi Ahmed, was detained, though the police have not provided a reason for his arrest.
Dhaka Metropolitan Police Commissioner Shafiqul Islam explained to that the ban on rallies was implemented to safeguard lives and property in response to the violence from Thursday. Authorities reported that 100 police officers were injured, and a government minister mentioned that several vehicles outside government buildings were set ablaze.
The violence has spread beyond Dhaka, affecting 26 districts. Protesters who had seized and torched the state broadcaster BTV had departed by Friday morning, but the channel remained off the air.
A senior reporter informed that the newsroom, studio, and canteen suffered damage from Thursday’s blaze.
