INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
died in the unrest, which poses an unprecedented challenge to the government of Sheikh Hasina, the prime minister, after her 15 years in
office.Earlier on Friday, a communications blackout was imposed across the country, with mobile internet access and social media blocked by
the government.View image in fullscreenA demonstrator gestures as protesters clash with Border Guard Bangladesh and the police outside the
state-owned Bangladesh Television on 19 July
set alight by protesters, and several news websites were down.A group of protesters stormed a jail in Narsingdi, a district just north of
the capital, and freed its inmates before setting the facility on fire
According to Agence France-Presse, hundreds of inmates were released.Key government websites, including that of the central bank, the police
1971.Those protesting have argued that the policy is unfair and discriminatory as young people struggle for jobs during an economic downturn
and instead benefits members of the ruling Awami League party, which is led by the Hasina.Pro-government student groups have been accused of
attacking the protesters, and police have routinely fired teargas and rubber bullets into the crowds, leaving thousands injured and dozens
killed.Despite the ban on public rallies and gatherings, student groups still took to the streets on Friday
The sounds of gunfire and stun grenades could be heard coming from areas close to universities in Dhaka
According to reports, police were seen firing live ammunition to break up demonstrations and protesters accused police of being responsible
for a large proportion of the fatalities.Witnesses said the protests had begun to take on a much broader anti-government tone against Hasina
vast and severe crackdown on political opponents and critics while corruption has flourished
She won a fifth term in January in an election widely documented as being heavily rigged.Clashes between heavily armed riot police and
protesters, many wielding batons and bricks, have spread across the country, with vehicles set ablaze in the streets and thousands left
On Thursday protesters stormed the headquarters of the state broadcaster, Bangladesh Television, and set it on fire
Authorities said the building was safely evacuated.View image in fullscreenA building on fire in Dhaka
Photograph: AFP/Getty ImagesThe Dhaka Times said one of its reporters, Mehedi Hasan, was killed while covering clashes in the capital.Access
wait for an supreme court order on the quota system, but it did little to quell the unrest.The prime minister was earlier accused of
betrayed the country by collaborating with the enemy, Pakistan, during the war of independence.The quotas that sparked the protests were
abolished in 2018 but brought back last month after a court ruling, prompting outrage among students
About 40% of young people in Bangladesh are unemployed as the economy has foundered post-Covid, and government jobs are seen as one of the
few means of secure employment
independence fight for Bangladesh, is accused of disproportionately benefiting from the system.Pierre Prakash, the Asia director of the
International Crisis Group, said the protests were a reflection of growing frustration on the streets at the erosion of democracy and the
This article first appeared/also appeared in theguardian.com
