Bangladesh Orders Curfew in Effort to Quell Deadly Unrest

The authorities in Bangladesh ordered a nationwide curfew and deployed the army as clashes between student-led protesters and the police and paramilitary forces killed dozens of people and brought Dhaka, the nation’s capital, to a halt.

The curfew, announced late on Friday, was imposed indefinitely, but government officials who were not authorized to speak publicly said the government was hopeful that things would calm down by Monday, although they added that the situation was fluid. Officials said the army was needed to help curb vandalism and restore order.

Across the country, university students have been agitating for weeks about a quota system for government jobs that they say limits their opportunities by benefiting only certain groups, including the families of those who fought for independence from Pakistan.

Officials of the Awami League, the political party led by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, have said they want to negotiate with the students. But student leaders have held their ground, refusing to hold talks until the quota system is permanently removed.

The demonstrations at first were peaceful. But public anger against Ms. Hasina grew quickly as police and paramilitary forces tried to disperse the protests with increasing force, included by firing rubber bullets and pellets. Protesters armed with sticks and bats fought with the police and counterprotesters. Casualty counts vary: by Friday, government officials put the death toll at 33, but activists said at least 60 have died.

Facebook and other social media platforms have been awash with videos of violent clashes, and multiple news outlets carried videos showing state buildings that the students had set on fire.

Earlier this week, the government shut down internet connectivity in the name of public safety, saying that such a move was necessary to stop the spread of rumors and disinformation. But it also had the effect of stopping protesters from sharing information and making plans on social media, and choked the flow of information in and out of the country.

As reports of deaths have mounted, human rights groups condemned the security forces’ crackdown and the internet shutdown.

“The unlawful force used against protesters shows a callous disregard for the right to life,” Amnesty International said in a statement on Friday.

The group said that blanket internet shutdowns sow instability and panic: “It is reckless to impede access to information during what has been a week of escalating violence and heavy-handed crackdown on student-led protests across the country.”

This is not the first time that Bangladesh has enforced a curfew. In 2007, an army-backed interim government imposed curfews in six of the country’s largest cities to quash unrest by students demanding an end to emergency rule. The curfew cleared the cities of protesters, forced residents to stay home and briefly shut down mobile phone service.