Over a thousand people have been arrested by police in anti-government protests in Bangladesh.
Police in Bangladesh have arrested over a thousand people in last week’s anti-government protests. Several senior leaders of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party and Jamaat-e-Islami are among those detained.
What began as student protests against hiring quotas for specific groups in government jobs turned into some of the most intense unrest of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s tenure last week.
On Sunday, July 22, the Supreme Court of Bangladesh annulled most of the hiring quotas for specific groups, including families of freedom fighters from the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War with Pakistan.
Following this ruling, student groups leading the protests halted their demonstrations for 48 hours on Monday, stating they did not want reforms to come at the cost of so much bloodshed. At least 150 people have been killed in this unrest.
Curfew has been in place for the fourth consecutive day in Bangladesh, and the nationwide internet shutdown has severely restricted the flow of information and disrupted daily life for many.