Bangladesh Extends Curfew Amid Student Protests as 5,500 Arrested
TEHRAN (Tasnim) - Bangladesh will maintain a curfew in Dhaka and three other cities on Friday and Saturday, with a nine-hour break, as authorities intensify crackdown against those involved in violence during student protests.
Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan announced early Friday that the curfew, which began last Saturday, will persist in Dhaka and three additional cities.
The curfew will be paused from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day, Anadolu cited Khan saying.
Local authorities will determine the curfew status in other cities.
Student protesters have vowed to continue their demonstrations until their nine-point list of demands is met, including a ban on the Chhatra League, prosecution of those responsible for protester deaths, and an apology from Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
According to Prothom Alo, at least 204 people have died since July 16, though the government has not yet released an official casualty count.
Police have arrested over 5,500 people nationwide, with 1,100 arrests made on Thursday alone.
Many of those detained are members of the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami. Khan confirmed that arrests would continue.
Last Friday, the government imposed a complete internet blackout due to escalating violence, but broadband services have been partially restored. Mobile internet services remain suspended.
The protests, which began in early July over calls for reforms to the government’s job quota system, escalated after Sheikh Hasina referred to the protesters as “razakar,” a term used for those who fought for Pakistani forces during Bangladesh’s 1971 independence war.