Unrest in Bangladesh: Student Protests Erupt Into Deadly Clashes

Three people were killed in Bangladesh amid student-led protests against government job quotas. Police fired tear gas and authorities disrupted communications to control the unrest. Violence spread across Dhaka and other districts, driven by high unemployment and economic woes, with international concern growing over the volatile situation.

Three people were killed in Bangladesh on Friday as police cracked down on unrelenting student-led protests against government job quotas despite a ban on public gatherings, local media said. Police fired tear gas to scatter protesters in some areas, Reuters journalists reported. One observer noted many fires across the capital Dhaka from a rooftop, with smoke rising in multiple locations.

Telecommunications were 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 were suspended nationwide as protesters blocked roads and threw bricks at security officials.

Three people were killed on Friday, according to reports, following violence on Thursday in 47 of Bangladesh's 64 districts, which resulted in 27 deaths and 1,500 injuries. Reuters could not immediately verify the reports, and police have not issued a casualty toll.