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Student protests in Bangladesh continued to intensify on Sunday (July 21) with the death toll in the clashes between the demonstrators and the police climbing to 133, the news agency AFP reported. Students have been protesting against quotas that set aside 30 per cent of government jobs for the families of those who fought for independence from Pakistan in 1971.
Police fired tear gas to scatter protesters in some areas while the government has banned public gatherings, imposed communications restrictions, deployed the army in some parts, and imposed a curfew.
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On Saturday, troops were patrolling cities across the South Asian country to quell growing unrest, with riot police firing on protesters who defied the curfew.
Here’s a look at the latest updates:
> The US State Department said on Saturday that it raised Bangladesh’s travel advisory to level four. In the advisory, the State Department said, “Travelers should not travel to Bangladesh due to ongoing civil unrest in Dhaka. Demonstrations and violent clashes have been reported throughout the city of Dhaka, its neighbouring areas, and throughout Bangladesh.”
> The State Department said that due to the security situation, “there may be a delay in provision of routine consular services.” It also said that due to security concerns, American Embassy personnel in Bangladesh are subject to some movement and travel restrictions, which could limit their ability to provide emergency services to US citizens in Bangladesh.
> Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government declared Sunday and Monday as “public holidays” due to the situation in the country, with only emergency services allowed to operate. Authorities had earlier closed universities and colleges.
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> The clashes have killed 133 people so far and thousands of others have been injured. On Friday, at least 300 police personnel were injured in the clashes with demonstrators in multiple locations around Dhaka.
> Internet and text message services in Bangladesh have been suspended since Thursday. Overseas telephone calls mostly failed to connect while the websites of Bangladesh-based media organisations did not update and their social media accounts remained inactive.
> The nationwide curfew was eased for two hours from noon on Saturday to allow people to shop for supplies and complete other chores, a report by the news agency Reuters said.
> Those venturing out had their identification cards inspected by army personnel at checkpoints.
(With inputs from agencies)
Source link : https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/bangladesh-student-protests-death-toll-over-130-us-issues-dont-travel-alert-742715/amp
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Publish date : 2024-07-20 22:35:37
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