NEW DELHI, August 4. /TASS/. More than 50 people have died and hundreds have been injured in anti-government protests in Bangladesh on Sunday, The Daily Star newspaper said.
Clashes were reported during the day in Dhakka and other cities in Bangladesh. According to the latest reports, 56 people, including 14 police officers, died and hundreds were injured. Arsons, acts of vandalism and road blockings were reported.
Amid the riots, the authorities made a decision to toughen the curfew regime starting from 6:00 p.m. local time and to declare the next three days as days off. Earlier, the government demanded that telecom operators switch off 4G services and block access to social networks. The majority of banks and shops are closed.
Protests are organized by the anti-discrimination students’ movement, which is demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. The organizers plan to continue protests and demonstrations on Monday and hold a ‘march to Dhakka’ on Tuesday.
The Russian embassy earlier warned Russian nationals against visiting crowded places. The embassy also said that it has no data on casualties among Russians.
Protesters took to the streets in various cities of Bangladesh in early July, demanding the abolition of job quotas for relatives of participants in the 1971 war of independence. The situation in the republic has escalated over the past two weeks, with protests turning into riots that have killed over 250 people. The authorities announced the closure of schools, colleges and universities. A curfew was imposed in the capital, communications were intermittent, and TV broadcasts were cut off. On July 21, the Supreme Court of Bangladesh abolished most quotas for government jobs. According to the court ruling, 93% of government jobs will be open to candidates based on merit rather than a quota system. Bangladesh law enforcement agencies have arrested at least 10,000 people across the country in connection with the protests.