Bangladesh Students Protest results in 105 Deaths - Curfew Imposed
A statewide curfew has been enforced by Bangladeshi authorities in response to the deadly unrest that has swept throughout the nation. At least 105 people have died as a result of the battles between student demonstrators and police, according to medical reports and the news agency AFP's count of the dead.
The longest-serving prime minister of bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina, faces her greatest political test yet because students are calling for changes to the government's current employment quota system. PM Sheikh Hasina asked the students to have discussions to find a peaceful solution to the problem during a nationally televised speech. It is unclear, though, if the students will accept the government's offer given the current circumstances.
The longest-serving prime minister of bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina, faces her greatest political test yet because students are calling for changes to the government's current employment quota system. PM Sheikh Hasina asked the students to have discussions to find a peaceful solution to the problem during a nationally televised speech. It is unclear, though, if the students will accept the government's offer given the current circumstances.
Bangladesh Unrest
• Providing context for the turmoil in bangladesh, spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs Randhir jaiswal said on friday that it is an "internal" issue for the nation. But according to the MEA spokeswoman, there are now about 15,000 indians living in bangladesh, including 8,500 students, and they are all safe. 125 students are among the 245 indian citizens whose returns have been made easier by the government thus far.
• According to a police officer who spoke to AFP, the student demonstrators broke into a prison in the Narsingdi area of central bangladesh and freed hundreds of prisoners before setting the building on fire. "I don't know the number of inmates, but it would be in the hundreds," he said.
• According to a police officer who spoke to AFP, the student demonstrators broke into a prison in the Narsingdi area of central bangladesh and freed hundreds of prisoners before setting the building on fire. "I don't know the number of inmates, but it would be in the hundreds," he said.
• The protestors are requesting that the government of bangladesh cease allocating thirty percent of its government positions to the relatives of those who lost their lives fighting in the country's 1971 war of independence from Pakistan.
• According to meghalaya Chief minister Conrad Sangma, up to 63 state students have returned from bangladesh safely. To evacuate additional students from bangladesh, he said that he was in continual communication with the indian High Commission there. According to the Chief minister, the state government intends to establish a site where Meghalayan students pursuing studies overseas may register. "If any emergency arises, we will be able to contact them and help them as we have the information," he stated.
• After irate protestors broke into the nation's state broadcaster and set the building on fire, the demonstration took a bad turn. Reuters news agency said that on friday, several Bangladeshi publications' websites had issues, stopped updating, and showed no activity on social media. While entertainment stations carried on as usual, news television channels and the state broadcaster BTV immediately stopped airing. A few of the impacted news programs informed viewers that programming will soon resume while claiming technical difficulties.