Chaos in Bangladesh Amid Deadly Protests Over Government Job Quotas

Fresh protests against government job quotas in Bangladesh resulted in three fatalities on Friday. Widespread telecom disruption and enforcement of bans on public gatherings have added to the unrest, which initially stemmed from student anger but has since been fueled by broader economic issues and unemployment.

Bangladesh witnessed renewed protests on Friday against government job quotas, leading to three deaths, according to media reports. The unrest has exacerbated as telecom networks were disrupted and TV news channels went off the air.

Authorities suspended mobile services the previous day to quell the agitation sparked by student anger over controversial quotas. The government has not commented on the latest communications outage, but defiant protesters continued to gather despite a ban on public meetings following violent clashes that claimed nearly two dozen lives this week.

Opposition leaders, including Tarique Rahman of the BNP, urged support for the protesters. Arrests of opposition leaders and students were reported, aiming to politicize the movement, although this could not be independently verified. Disruptions included suspended train services, roadblocks, and clashes with security forces.

(With inputs from agencies.)