After police failed to put an end to days of violent unrest that spread throughout the nation, killing at least 105 people and injuring thousands more, the government of Bangladesh enforced a curfew and sent in the armed forces.
The violent unrest, which presents a serious threat to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's autocratic government after 15 years in office, has been described by India as an internal Dhaka issue, but it has also stated that it is closely monitoring the situation given that 15,000 Indians live in that nation. The 15,000 Indians including 8,500 students are safe, External Affairs Ministry said.
A senior home department official told media that 363 people reached Meghalaya through the Dawki Integrated Check Post on July 19, taking the total number of people taking refuge in the state to over 670. Of them, 204 are Indians, 158 are Nepalese and one person is from Bhutan.
Bangladesh imposes Curfew throughout the Country:
For the first time since the protests started, authorities in the capital city of Dhaka banned any public meetings for the whole day on Friday in an attempt to quell the bloody demonstrations. Chief of police Habibur Rahman told, "We've banned all rallies, processions, and public gatherings in Dhaka" adding that the action was required to guarantee "public safety".
The Sheikh Hasina government also imposed a nationwide curfew after a combined 52 deaths were reported in Dhaka. "The government has decided to impose a curfew and deploy the military in aid of the civilian authorities," said government officials.
News channels went off the air; Communication blackout:
Telecommunications were also disrupted and television news channels went off the air. Authorities had cut some mobile telephone services the previous day to try to quell the unrest. Bengali newspaper Prothom Alo reported train services had been also suspended nationwide as protesters blocked roads and threw bricks at security officials.
That however did not stop another round of confrontations between police and protesters around the sprawling megacity of 20 million people, despite an internet shutdown aimed at frustrating the organisation of rallies. Police fired tear gas to scatter protesters in some areas.
Tension over continues protests:
"Our protest will continue," Sarwar Tushar, who joined a march in the capital and sustained minor injuries when it was violently dispersed by police, told media. "We want the immediate resignation of Sheikh Hasina. The government is responsible for the killings." Tushar added.
Student protesters also stormed a jail in the central Bangladeshi district of Narsingdi and freed its inmates before setting the facility on fire. "I don't know the number of inmates, but it would be in the hundreds," a police officer told media on condition of anonymity.
The capital's police force earlier said protesters had on Thursday torched, vandalised, and carried out "destructive activities" on numerous police and government offices. Among them was the Dhaka headquarters of state broadcaster Bangladesh Television, which remains offline after hundreds of incensed students, stormed the premises and set fire to a building. Meanwhile, Dhaka Metropolitan Police has arrested Ruhul Kabir Rizvi Ahmed, one of the top leaders of the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).
Quota is reason for students’ protests:
Student outrage about reservation quotas that reserved 30% of government positions for the relatives of soldiers who fought for Pakistani independence was the initial cause of the protests. The worst level of upheaval that the country has seen since Hasina was re-elected this year has also been fueled by the high rate of unemployment among young people, who account for about half of the country's 170 million inhabitants.
Old and delicate political rifts have been exposed by the protests between those who supported Bangladesh's independence from Pakistan in 1971 and others who are thought to have been working with Islamabad.