Bangladesh Shuts Down: Curfew and Internet Blackout Amid Explosive Student Protests.

Dhaka: In response to the surge of student-led anti-government protests, Bangladesh has imposed a nationwide curfew and disabled mobile internet services to curb disinformation.

Following the curfew, authorities have indefinitely shut down schools and universities. The protests, which initially erupted against job quotas, have intensified across the country. The Border Security Forces (BSF) conducted security checks at the Indian Immigration check post in Fulbari, Jalpaiguri, amidst the unrest.

The government announced the curfew on Friday evening after clashes between police and various student groups resulted in dozens of deaths, as reported by leading newspapers. The protests began in response to a new policy reserving a portion of government jobs for descendants of the nation’s freedom fighters. On Thursday, protesters attacked the state television headquarters in Dhaka and set fire to police booths, calling for a “complete shutdown” of the country.

The ongoing street battles between security forces and protesters, with the use of rubber bullets and tear gas, have paralyzed life in several neighborhoods of Bangladesh. Additionally, websites for several leading Bangladeshi newspapers have not been updated since Thursday or are altogether inaccessible. Television channels have also been taken off the air.

The protests are driven by demands for reform of the country’s quota system for civil service jobs, which reserves positions for specific groups, including descendants of those who participated in the 1971 War of Independence against Pakistan.