Bangladesh deploys military against student protests
**Students in Bangladesh Protest as Government Favors Certain Population Groups in Public Service**
Students in Bangladesh are taking to the streets because the government favors certain population groups in public service. Violent clashes have occurred with security forces. Over a hundred people have already been killed. Now, the state is turning to the military.
The clashes between protesting students and security forces have escalated in Bangladesh. The police shot in the capital Dhaka at demonstrators, injuring at least one person. The demonstration took place despite a curfew imposed since midnight. In addition, the government sent massive troops to the streets.
At least 115 people have been killed during the protests. Several hospitals reported that many more people have died from gunshot wounds since Thursday. According to reports, the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has canceled her planned foreign trips to Spain and Brazil due to the situation in the country.
In Narsingdi, in the center of the country, students, according to the police, stormed a prison on Friday and freed hundreds of inmates. Subsequently, the demonstrators set the prison on fire.
State Broadcasting Off the Air
The government had already issued an internet ban on Thursday, making communication in the country more difficult. The largest publishing houses in the country cannot update their news portals. The state broadcaster cannot go on air since demonstrators set its headquarters in Dhaka on fire on Thursday. The students in Bangladesh have been protesting almost daily for weeks against the government's quota system, which reserves more than half of the well-paid jobs in the public sector for certain population groups.
According to critics, the quotas benefit the supporters of the 76-year-old Hasina Wajed, who was re-elected for a fourth term in January in an election almost without opposition. The students demand a merit-based system instead of quotas for job allocation.
The military has been deployed to assist the police in controlling the protests, adding another layer of security forces to the mix. Despite the military operations, the protests continue to escalate, with protesters targeting symbolic government institutions. The political tension in Bangladesh has reached a boiling point, with international politics now being heavily influenced by the situation.
