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According to a local news outlet Prothom Alo, a group of people entered the BTV headquarters by breaking in following which they set fire to vehicles parked inside the building read more
 "32 dead in Bangladesh unrest, protesters set fire to state TV network")
Students clash over a quota system at Jahangir Nagar University at Savar outside Dhaka, Bangladesh on 15 Julu. Police fired tear gas and charged demonstrators with batons overnight during violent clashes between a pro-government student body and student protesters. AP
Angry protestors on Thursday set fire to the headquarters of state-backed Bangladesh Television (BTV). The state broadcaster confirmed the news on Facebook saying that many people are currently trapped inside the office.
“Catastrophic fire at BTV. Spreading fast. We seek the cooperation of the Fire Service. Many people are trapped inside,” the broadcaster said. “Hundreds of protesters… set fire to the reception building.”
বিটিভি সেন্টারের গেট ভেঙে ফেলেছে ছাত্ররা। ভাঙচুর ও আগুন লাগিয়ে দিয়েছে ভিতরে।#StepDownHasina #Dhaka #Bangladesh #SaveBangladeshiStudents pic.twitter.com/BEuKJ4ep67
— Basherkella - বাঁশেরকেল্লা (@basherkella) July 18, 2024The country is reeling under widespread protests that have turned violent in the past couple of days with the death toll now reaching 32. The demonstrations were triggered by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina-led government’s decision to introduce public sector job quotas.
Protestors torch BTV building
An official at the station, speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity, said that hundreds of protesters had stormed the premises, setting alight at least 60 vehicles and an office building.
“They first torched a police post at Rampura after police opened fire at them,” he said, referring to a neighbourhood in the capital Dhaka.
“They chased the police officers when they took refuge at the BTV office. Angry protesters then caused mayhem here.”
According to a local news outlet Prothom Alo, a group of people entered the BTV headquarters by breaking in following which they set fire to vehicles parked inside the building.
Internet services suspended
Bangladesh ordered on Thursday the nationwide shutdown of its mobile internet network, the country’s junior telecommunications minister said, following student protests.
“Yes, we have,” Zunaid Ahmed Palak told AFP when asked to confirm the measure, saying it was necessary to “ensure the security of citizens”.
Hasina vows punishment
Meanwhile, the Bangladeshi prime minister on Wednesday, vowed to punish those responsible for killing people in ongoing student protests over civil service hiring rules.
She said, “I firmly declare that those who carried out murders, looting and violence – whoever they are – I will make sure they will be given the appropriate punishment.”
Why are students protesting?
Bangladesh has more than 1.9 million civil servant posts, according to a 2022 report by the country’s public administration ministry.
More than half of the people hired to these jobs are not selected on merit but under affirmative action rules prioritising women, residents of less developed districts and other disadvantaged cohorts.
The most contentious aspect of this quota system is the reservation of 30 percent of posts for children of freedom fighters who fought in the country’s 1971 liberation war against Pakistan.
The current rules were introduced in 1972 by independence leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, father of current Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
Earlier protests by students in 2018 prompted Hasina’s administration to cut down the quota scheme.
But last month the High Court ruled that this change had been unlawful and ordered the government to reintroduce the freedom fighter category it had abolished.
With inputs from AFP
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