Bangladesh imposes curfew, deploys military forces following unrest

Bangladesh has announced the imposition of a curfew and the deployment of military forces after police failed to quell days of deadly unrest that has spread throughout the country. Violence erupted in the country after protests by students demanding reforms in the quota system for government jobs. The clashes between student demonstrators and police have killed at least 105 people so far, posing a momentous challenge for Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government after 15 years in office.

Talking to media, Ms Hasina’s press secretary Nayeemul Islam Khan said, the government has decided to impose a curfew and deploy the military in aid of the civilian authorities. Police in the capital Dhaka yesterday banned all rallies, processions and public gatherings, a first since protests began, in an effort to forestall more violence. Police chief Habibur Rahman added the move was necessary to ensure public safety. As the result of the unrest, television news channels in Bangladesh are off the air, telecommunications has been disrupted, and many newspaper websites and social media accounts are inactive. Mobile internet has also been temporarily suspended in the country in the wake of the protests.

However, confrontations between police and protesters continues. In a related incident, protesters stormed a jail in the central Bangladeshi district of Narsingdi and freed its inmates before setting the facility on fire.

Meanwhile, the External Affairs Ministry has urged Indian nationals in Bangladesh to follow the advisory issued by the High Commission in Dhaka and to be in touch with the High Commission.

Briefing media in Delhi yesterday, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said around 15 thousand Indian nationals including eight thousand five hundred students reside in the neighbouring country. He said External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar himself is monitoring the situation, and the High Commission in Dhaka will be giving regular updates on the situation there. He said the Ministry remains committed to provide all possible assistance to India nationals there.

The spokesperson said India sees the protest in Bangladesh as an internal matter of the neighbouring country.