Bangladesh : Renewed anti-government protests turn into a bloodbath after a weekend of clashes
DHAKA – Hundreds of people were killed, and other hundreds injured in clashes between the anti-government demonstrators and the Awami League supporters on Sunday.
The government imposed a general blackout of internet service on Monday, as protestors insisted on marching to the capital, calling Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to resign.
On Sunday, the government had announced a holiday from Monday to Wednesday, with an indefinite closure of courts, along with schools and universities.
Previously on Saturday, the authorities had enforced a strict, nationwide, “shoot-on-sight curfew, with military forces patrolling parts of the capital.
These clashes are among the deadliest since Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina took office 15 years ago, as 200 people were killed on both sides, and 11,000 were arrested.
The protests sparked after the reintroduction of an employment system reserving more than half of the state job quotas to certain candidates, including the descendants of war veterans.
With around 18 million young Bangladeshis unemployed, according to government figures, this decision deeply shocked the graduates and triggered general wrath.
