Bangladesh Student Protests: 32 Dead, Country Sees Telecom Disruption; State TV HQ Set On Fire

Bangladesh Student Protests: A widespread telecommunications disruption was reported from Bangladesh on Friday amid violent student protests against a contentious quota for government jobs in the country. Telephone calls from overseas were mostly not getting connected and internet-based calling apps were also encountering call drops, global news agency Reuters reported. Websites of several Bangladesh-based newspapers were not up-to-date on Friday morning and their social media handles lay dormant, Reuters, which itself reported the latest developments from New Delhi instead of Dhaka, said.

This comes a day after the protesting students set fire to Bangladesh's state broadcaster. Notably, on Wednesday, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina appeared on BTV, the Bangladeshi state broadcaster, to address the nation in light of the escalating clashes. As per wire agency AFP, the death toll from clashes between the protestors, and counter-protestors and the police stood at a minimum of 32 on Thursday. Hundreds have purportedly been injured in the violent clashes so far.

Bangladesh Protests: State Broadcaster Set Ablaze

The arson of BTV's headquarters followed an incensed crowd chasing retreating officers to the television station in the national capital of Dhaka, AFP said in its report. As the fire spread, a Facebook post by BTV reported "many people" being trapped inside. However, an official from the station later said they were successful in safely evacuating the building. "The fire is still going on," the official was quoted as saying by AFP. "We have come out to the main gate. Our broadcast has been shut down for now," they added.

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Anti-Quota Protests: Overview

The protestors are opposing a contentious ruling by the Bangladesh High Court that re-introduced a previously scrapped quota in government jobs for the descendants of freedom fighters. Angered by high youth unemployment, with nearly 32 million out of work or education among a population of 170 million, the students have pressed for the abolition of the quota, which sets aside 30 per cent of government job vacancies for the families of those who participated in the 1971 liberation struggle against Pakistan.

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The controversy over the reservation, which was scrapped in 2018, revolves around the popular opinion that it mainly benefitted those loyal to Hasina's Awami League, which spearheaded the liberation war and has been in power at the centre continuously since 2009. The quota, along with those meant for other categories of candidates, was scrapped by Hasina's erstwhile government in 2018 after a months-long agitation by students and teachers called for the capping of reserved government job openings at 10 per cent from a whopping 56 per cent.

(With inputs from agencies)