Army to be deployed to keep order after demonstrators free hundreds of prisoners and country is hit by serious unrest
The Bangladeshi government has declared a national curfew and announced plans to deploy the army to tackle the country’s worst unrest in a decade, after student protesters stormed a prison and freed hundreds of inmates.
“The government has decided to impose a curfew and deploy the military in aid of the civilian authorities,” a government spokesperson said late on Friday. AFP reported that at least 105 people have died in the unrest, which poses an unprecedented challenge to the government of Sheikh Hasina, the prime minister, after her 15 years in office.
Earlier on Friday, a communications blackout was imposed across the country, with mobile internet access and social media blocked by the government. TV news channels were off air after the state broadcaster’s headquarters in Dhaka was stormed and set alight by protesters, and several news websites were down.
A group of protesters stormed a jail in Narsingdi, a district just north of the capital, and freed its inmates before setting the facility on fire. According to Agence France-Presse, hundreds of inmates were released.
Key government websites, including that of the central bank, the police and the prime minister’s office, also appeared to have been hacked by a group calling itself “THE R3SISTANC3”. A message posted across the prime minister’s office website on Friday called for an end to the killing of students, saying: “It’s not a protest any more. It’s a war now.”
Another message posted on the website read: “The government has shut down the internet to silence us and hide their actions. We need to stay informed about what is happening on the ground.”
The protests began this month on university campuses as students demanded an end to a quota system that reserves 30% of government jobs for family members of veterans who fought in Bangladesh’s war of independence in 1971. Those protesting have argued that the policy is unfair and discriminatory as young people struggle for jobs during an economic downturn and instead benefits members of the ruling Awami League party…
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