Police in the capital Dhaka on Friday banned all demonstrations and public gatherings to try to quell the unrest. But that did not prevent further clashes between police and protesters in the city of 20 million, despite the government shutting down the internet.
Our protests will continue, protester Sarwar Tushar told the AFP news agency.
According to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s office, the government has decided to impose a curfew in the country and deploy the military to restore order.
Shots from the police
At least 52 people were killed in the capital on Friday, according to a hospital list obtained by AFP. Police shootings are said to account for half of the deaths this week, according to hospital sources.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk says the attacks on the student protests are “shocking and unacceptable”.
“Prompt, impartial and thorough investigations are needed into these attacks and those responsible for them,” he said in a statement.
Police say protesters have vandalized and set fire to a number of buildings, including a television company and several government and police buildings. A prison in the town of Narsingdi northeast of Dhaka was stormed on Friday and hundreds of prisoners were freed before the building was set on fire.
Opposition leader arrested
The police have also arrested Ruhul Kabir Rizvi Ahmed from the main opposition party Bangladesh nationalist party (BNP). He is accused of “hundreds of offences”, according to the police spokesperson, but no further details were given about the reasons for his arrest.
Students have been protesting for weeks against a quota system for jobs in the public sector. The system, the protesters say, favors groups allied with 76-year-old Hasina, who has ruled the country since 2009 and won a new term in January after a disputed election process that was boycotted by the opposition.
At least 26 regions around the country have been affected by clashes between students and police