Mass student protests against a quota system for government jobs continue in Bangladesh. AFP and other news outlets say the death toll from a series of clashes between the demonstrators and police has risen to 105.
The government imposed a nighttime curfew across the country on Friday. It also plans to deploy military forces, as the unrest could spread further.
The South Asian country has been rocked by the violent clashes in the capital, Dhaka, and elsewhere since Tuesday.
The large-scale protests were triggered by the High Court’s decision in June to reinstate the system that reserves government jobs for relatives of veterans who fought in Bangladesh’s war of independence from Pakistan in 1971. The government scrapped the job quotas in 2018.
Bangladesh is experiencing strong economic growth. More than 300 Japanese firms, including garment manufacturers, are operating in the country. Around 1,100 Japanese nationals are said to be living there.