Scores killed and alert issued as Bangladesh anti-quota protesters set fire to state TV headquarters

TV news channels taken off air and internet and mobile services shut down

Smoke rises from vehicles set on fire by protesters in Dhaka on 18 July 2024 (AFP via Getty)

Bangladesh issued a high security alert across the country and shut down internet and mobile services on Friday after violent protests against a government jobs allocation scheme left at least 38 people dead this week.

Thousands of protesters stormed the headquarters of the state broadcaster BTV on Thursday, vandalised furniture, smashed windows, and set fire to parts of the building, local media reported.

Television news channels were off air on Friday morning and telecommunications were severely disrupted.

AFP news agency reported that at least 32 people died in the violence on Thursday, adding to six fatalities earlier in the week.

The unrest started last month but sharply escalated this week. The protesters, mostly students, oppose a quota system that reserves 30 per cent of government jobs for relatives of the 1971 war veterans, which they view as discriminatory.

The protests erupted after a high court reversed a 2018 decision to abolish job quotas. The ruling has been temporarily suspended by the supreme court pending an appeal, with further discussions slated for Sunday.

The Sheikh Hasina government has accused the opposition of inciting the violence.

A policeman stands near a fire set by protesters during a clash in Dhaka on 18 July 2024 (AFP via Getty)

A staffer at BTV told the Associated Press by phone on Thursday that they “escaped by leaping over the wall” but some of their colleagues got stuck inside when the protesters stormed their headquarters. “The attackers entered the building and set furniture on fire.”

Bangladesh’s information minister told the BBC that BTV broadcasts had been stopped and most employees evacuated from the building in the capital. Earlier, a post on BTV’s official Facebook page warned that “many” people were trapped inside and called for assistance from the fire service to extinguish the fire.

An unidentified BTV journalist was quoted as saying that “the situation was so bad we did not have any other option but to leave the place”.

“Some of our colleagues were trapped inside. I don’t know what happened to them”.

Students shout slogans during protests in Dhaka on 18 July 2024 (AFP via Getty)

The protesters have announced they would continue their call for a shutdown on Friday and urged mosques nationwide to hold funeral prayers for those killed in the violence.

They have threatened a “complete shutdown” of the transportation systems, businesses, and schools if their demands are not met.

“We want a permanent executive order from the government saying the quotas are abolished, except some quotas for the disabled and minorities,” Parvez Mosharraf, a Dhaka University student, told Dawn last week.

The opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party has backed the call for a shutdown.

Protesters clash with police and supporters of the ruling Awami League party in Dhaka on 18 July 2024 (Reuters)

The government in response shut down internet services and mobile services on Friday. Social media platforms like Facebook and WhatsApp were reportedly inaccessible in the capital Dhaka on Friday morning.

According to The Economic Times newspaper, Ms Hasina’s government “was forced” to call in the army late on Thursday to help “maintain order”.

Streets in Dhaka were largely deserted on Friday morning due to the weekly holiday, Reuters reported. Traffic was sparse, with only a few rickshaws visible and minimal crowds near vegetable and fish markets.

Additional reporting by agencies.