NEW DELHI, August 5. /TASS/. No state of emergency will be declared in the country if the situation stabilizes, Bangladesh’s army chief, General Waker-Uz-Zaman, said in an address to the nation.

According to him, "there is no need for a state of emergency if the situation is calm."

"We will form an interim government and manage the country," he pointed out, urging his fellow countrymen to observe order.

"Have faith in the army. We will accept all your demands," he said. "The army will not fire. The police won’t shoot either. We will make a decision by tonight. But it may take a couple of days to execute," the army commander added.

According to local media, thousands of people have taken to the streets in Bangladesh in recent hours. Arson and vandalism have been reported. Protesters have trashed the prime minister's residence, demolished a smashed statue of the country's founder Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and set fire to his museum, as well as stormed the office of the ruling Awami League party. Dhaka International Airport is closed until further notice.

Students 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, with demonstrations growing into riots. Anti-government protests flared up again in the capital city of Dhaka and other Bangladeshi cities on August 4. According to The Daily Star newspaper, at least 10,000 people have been arrested since the outbreak of riots.

At least 300 people have died in the protests, AFP said earlier, citing local police and medics. Meanwhile, the India Today television channel cited unofficial sources as saying that the number of victims may range from 1,000 to 1,400.