Bangladesh imposes strict curfew with ‘shoot-in-the-face’ order after deadly protests

DHAKA, Bangladesh — Police imposed a strict curfew with a shoot-on-sight order across Bangladesh, while military troops patrolled parts of the capital on Saturday after dozens of people were killed and hundreds injured in clashes over the allocation of civil service positions.

The curfew came into effect at midnight and was relaxed from noon to 2 p.m. to allow people to do their shopping. It is expected to last until 10 a.m. Sunday, allowing officers to fire into crowds in extreme cases, said lawmaker Obaidul Quader, secretary-general of the ruling Awami League party.

The demonstrations, called mainly by student groups, began weeks ago to protest a quota system that reserves up to 30% of government jobs for relatives of veterans who fought in Bangladesh’s 1971 war of independence. Violence erupted on Tuesday, with the Daily Prothom Alo newspaper reporting the deaths of at least 103 people.

Friday was likely to be the deadliest day yet; Somoy TV reported 43 dead, while an Associated Press reporter saw 23 bodies at Dhaka Medical College and Hospital, but it was not immediately clear whether all died on Friday. On Thursday, 22 more were reported dead as student protesters attempted to “completely shut down” the country.

The U.S. Embassy in Dhaka said Friday that reports indicated “hundreds to possibly thousands” of wounded people in Bangladesh, adding that the situation was “extremely volatile.”

Bangladeshi authorities have not released official figures for the number of dead and injured.

Officials said the curfew was aimed at quelling further violence after police and protesters clashed on the streets and on university campuses in Dhaka and other cities in the South Asian nation. Authorities blocked online communications by banning mobile and internet services. Several television news channels also went dark and the websites of most local newspapers were down. Meanwhile, several major government websites, including Bangladesh’s central bank and the prime minister’s office, appeared to have been hacked and crippled.

Local media also reported that about 800 inmates fled a prison in Narsingdi, a district north of the capital, after protesters stormed the prison on Friday and set it on fire.

The chaos highlights cracks in Bangladesh’s governance and economy, and the frustration of young people who lack good jobs after graduating. It also poses the biggest challenge to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina since she won a fourth consecutive term in January elections boycotted by major opposition groups.

Protesters argue that the quota system is discriminatory and benefits supporters of Hasina, whose Awami League party led the independence movement, and say it should be replaced with a merit-based system. Hasina has defended the quota system, saying veterans deserve the highest respect for their contributions in the war against Pakistan, regardless of their political affiliation.

Representatives from both sides met late Friday night to try to reach a solution. At least three student leaders were present, demanding the current quota system be reformed, student dormitories that were closed by police after the clashes be reopened and some university officials resign after failing to protect campuses from the violence. Law Minister Anisul Huq said late Friday night that the government was open to discussing their demands.

The main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party backed the protests and vowed to organize its own demonstrations on Friday as many of its supporters joined the student protests. However, the BNP said in a statement that its supporters were not responsible for the violence and denied accusations by the ruling party that it was using the protests for political ends.

The Awami League and the BNP have often accused each other of fomenting political chaos and violence, most recently in the run-up to the country’s national elections, which were marred by a crackdown on several opposition figures. Hasina’s government had accused the opposition party of trying to disrupt the vote.

In 2018, the government halted the job quotas after mass student protests. But in June, Bangladesh’s Supreme Court overturned that decision and reinstated the quotas after petitions were filed by relatives of 1971 veterans. The high court stayed the ruling pending an appeal hearing and said in a statement that it would hear the case on Sunday.

Hasina has urged the protesters to wait for the court’s verdict.