The protests are a reaction to a quota system for jobs in the public sector. Something that the protesters believe benefits those allied with Hasina, who has ruled the country since 2009.
Now over 100 people have died and thousands have been injured in the protests. Among the injured are around a hundred police officers and at least around 30 journalists.
With the protests, the government has deployed police and paramilitary forces, closed universities across the country, imposed a national curfew and shut down the internet.
During Thursday, several buildings were set on fire. Among other things, a television company and several government and police buildings.
Even the UN has reacted to the situation. In a statement on the UN’s website, the Secretary-General’s spokesperson writes that “the UN is following developments in the capital Dhaka and other places in Bangladesh very closely and continues to call for restraint from all parties”.
The quota system, which has long been criticized, was removed after protests in 2018 but has recently been reinstated.