Soldiers patrol the deserted streets of the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka and the government has ordered all offices and institutions to be closed for two days after at least 114 people were killed in student protests against government job quotas this week.
At least four people were killed on Saturday in isolated clashes in some parts of Dhaka, the centre of the protests, where security forces had set up roadblocks to enforce a curfew, according to hospital sources.
Due to the situation in the country, the government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina declared Sunday and Monday as “public holidays”. Only emergency services were allowed to operate.
The authorities had already closed universities and colleges from Wednesday.
Nationwide unrest broke out due to student anger over the quotas for civil service jobs, 30 percent of which were reserved for the families of those who had fought for independence from Pakistan.
Hasina's government abolished the quota system in 2018, but a court reinstated it last month.
The Supreme Court stayed the decision following an appeal by the government and will hear the case on Sunday after agreeing to bring forward a hearing scheduled for August 7.
The demonstrations – the biggest since Hasina's fourth consecutive re-election this year – were also fuelled by high unemployment among young people, who make up almost a fifth of the population.
Internet and SMS services have been suspended in Bangladesh since Thursday, cutting off the entire country from the outside world while police crack down on protesters who have defied a ban on public gatherings.
Telephone calls from abroad were mostly unsuccessful, the websites of Bangladesh-based media organizations were not updated, and their social media accounts remained inactive.
“Taking a country of nearly 170 million people off the Internet is a drastic step not seen since the Egyptian revolution in 2011,” said John Heidemann, chief scientist of the Networks and Cybersecurity Division at USC Viterbi's Information Sciences Institute.
Due to the internet shutdown, many people were unable to recharge their electricity meters and were without power.
Thousands were injured in the clashes, according to hospitals across Bangladesh. At Dhaka Medical College Hospital, 27 bodies were found within two hours on Friday.
Television stations reported that the curfew was relaxed for two hours starting Saturday afternoon to allow people to stock up on supplies and run other errands.
The closure will last until 10 a.m. on Sunday. The government will then assess the situation and decide on how to proceed, the reports said.
Television footage shows that those who ventured out onto the streets had their IDs checked by army personnel at various checkpoints.
During the week, police used tear gas, rubber bullets and sound grenades to disperse protesters who threw bricks and set vehicles on fire.