Brutal Clashes Erupt in Bangladesh Between Student Protesters and Law Enforcement, Reports Dozens Dead and Hundreds Injured

Brutal clashes have erupted in Dhaka between protesters and police, resulting in dozens of deaths and hundreds of injuries. A fire has engulfed the BTV state television building, according to BBC reports. Bangladeshi authorities have stated that the television building was set ablaze by student protesters.

A message appeared on the official Facebook page of the television station indicating that people were trapped inside and unable to escape. BTV’s management has called for fire service assistance. The Minister of Information in Bangladesh reported that broadcasts have been suspended, and most of the staff have evacuated the building.

Students have taken to the streets demanding a change in the system that reserves one-third of public sector jobs for the families of veterans from the 1971 war of independence from Pakistan. On Thursday, authorities shut down mobile internet across the country in an attempt to prevent the escalation of protests. The police have used tear gas and rubber bullets against students forming human chains in the streets.

A BTV representative stated that the students who stormed the television building had previously set fire to a police station. "They chased the police when they sought refuge in the BTV building," the representative told AFP. "Angry protesters vandalized the building."