Bangladesh government declares two ‘public holidays’ citing situation in country, curfew in place

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government declared Sunday and Monday as “public holidays” due to the situation in the country, with only emergency services allowed to operate.

Bangladesh soldiers patrolled Dhaka’s deserted streets on Saturday amid a curfew to quell deadly student-led protests against government job quotas that have killed more than 100 people this week.

A suspension on internet and text message services has remained in place since Thursday, cutting off Bangladesh from the world as police cracked down on protests that have continued despite a ban on public gatherings.

The violent clashes have killed at least 105 people and injured thousands this week, according to data from hospitals across Bangladesh. The Dhaka Medical College Hospital received 27 dead bodies on Friday between 5pm to 7pm.

The nationwide unrest initially broke out over student anger against new quotas for government jobs.

Over the past five days, police have fired tear gas and hurled sound grenades to scatter protesters during the nationwide unrest, as demonstrators clashed with security personnel, throwing bricks and setting fire to vehicles.

With the death toll climbing and police unable to contain the violent protests, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government on Friday imposed a national curfew and deployed the military.

The curfew will ease for two hours from Saturday afternoon to allow people to shop for supplies and complete other chores, TV channels reported. The curfew will last until 10m on Sunday at which point the government will assess the situation and decide the next course of action, the reports added.

The demonstrations — the biggest since Hasina was re-elected for a fourth successive term this year — have also been fuelled by high unemployment among young people, who make up nearly a fifth of a population of 170 million.

International rights groups have criticised the internet suspension and actions of security forces. The European Union said it is deeply concerned by the violence and loss of life.

Hasina dropped plans to leave on Sunday for diplomatic visits to Spain and Brazil due to the protests, the office of Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud said.

Many opposition party leaders, activists and student protesters were arrested, said Tarique Rahman, the exiled acting chairman of the main opposition, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party.

Police arrested Nahid Islam, a leading coordinator of the students’ agitation, at 2am on Saturday, the protesters said in a text message.

Reuters could not independently confirm the arrests.

‘Frustration has been mounting’

Hasina’s government is accused by rights groups of misusing state institutions to entrench its hold on power and stamp out dissent, including by the extrajudicial killing of opposition activists. Since the first deaths on Tuesday, protesters have begun demanding Hasina leave office.

“Frustration has been mounting in Bangladesh because the country has not had a genuinely competitive national election for more than 15 years,” Pierre Prakash of Crisis Group told AFP.

“With no real alternative at the ballot box, discontented Bangladeshis have few options besides street protests to make their voices heard.”

‘Shocking indictment’

Hospitals and police reported an additional 10 deaths to AFP on Saturday from clashes the previous day. Police fire was the cause of more than half of the deaths reported so far this week, based on descriptions given to AFP by hospital staff.

“The rising death toll is a shocking indictment of the absolute intolerance shown by the Bangladeshi authorities to protest and dissent,” Babu Ram Pant of Amnesty International said in a statement.

Authorities imposed a nationwide internet shutdown on Thursday which remains in effect, severely hampering communication in and out of Bangladesh.

Government websites remain offline and major newspapers including The Dhaka Tribune and Daily Star have been unable to update their social media platforms since Thursday.

Bangladesh Television, the state broadcaster, also remains offline after its Dhaka headquarters was set on fire by protesters the same day.