Arrests In Bangladesh Exceed 2500 Amid Unrest Over Employment Quotas

On Tuesday, protests over employment quotas sparked widespread unrest in Bangladesh, leading to almost 2,500 arrests.

According to the report, at least 174 people have died, including several police officers. The protests began as demonstrations against politicized admission quotas for government jobs, which escalated into some of the worst unrest of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s tenure.

A curfew was imposed, soldiers deployed across the South Asian country, and a nationwide internet blackout restricted information flow.

The Supreme Court on Sunday reduced reserved jobs for specific groups, including the descendants of freedom fighters from Bangladesh’s 1971 liberation war against Pakistan.

The student group leading the protests suspended it Monday for 48 hours, but restrictions remained in place after the army chief declared the situation had been brought under control.

The heavy military presence in Dhaka has been a concern, with bunkers set up at some intersections and key roads blocked with barbed wire.

But more people were on the streets, as were hundreds of rickshaws.

The head of Students Against Discrimination, the main group organizing the protests, expressed fear for his life after being abducted and beaten.

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