Protesters have set fire to the headquarters of Bangladesh’s main state broadcaster BTV with “many people” trapped inside, the network says. Students are demanding equal access to public sector jobs.
Bangladeshi youth are protesting to scratch reservations that hinder employment and education opportunities.Image: Mohammad Ponir Hossain/REUTERS
At least 19 people have died in clashes between students and police in Bangladesh on Thursday, with protesters attacking the head office of the country’s state-run Bangladesh Television with many staff said to be trapped inside.
Students have been protesting for weeks against a quota system for government jobs, but the violence has escalated dramatically in recent days.
Bangladesh’s Law Minister Anisul Huq said in the afternoon that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina asked him to sit down with the protesters for dialogue, and he was ready to speak with them on Thursday if protesters were willing.
On Wednesday night, the protesters announced they would enforce “a complete shutdown” allowing only emergency services across the country on Thursday in response to security officials’ continued attacks on the campus demonstrators.
