A nationwide curfew has been imposed in Bangladesh after the police failed to contain days of unrest and students-led protests in the country that led to the death of over 100 people.
The protesters are demanding an end to a quota system that reserves up to 30 per cent of government jobs for relatives of veterans who fought in Bangladesh's war of independence in 1971 against Pakistan. Alleging that the system is discriminatory and benefits supporters of Hasina, the protestors are calling for scrapping the system with immediate effect.
The situation in the country deteriorated this week, prompting authorities to stop bus and train services and shut down schools and universities across the country.
Now, military forces have been deployed to help the civilian administration maintain order. The announcement to impose a curfew was made by Obaidul Quader, the general secretary of the ruling Awami League party, and came after police and security officials fired on protesters on Friday and banned all gatherings in the nation's capital.
"The government has decided to impose a curfew and deploy the military in aid of the civilian authorities," AFP quoted press secretary of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Nayeemul Islam Khan, as saying.
Indians return home
India, on Friday, described the violent protests in Bangladesh as an "internal" matter of Dhaka but at the same time said it was closely monitoring the situation in the context of 15,000 Indians residing in that country. External affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal had said that 15,000 Indians, including 8,500 students, residing in Bangladesh are safe.
Despite the assurance, over 360 more citizens of India, Nepal and Bhutan, on Friday, crossed over to Meghalaya from Bangladesh, taking the total number of people taking refuge in the state to over 670, officials said.
A senior home department official said that 363 people reached Meghalaya through the Dawki Integrated Check Post. Of them, 204 are Indians, 158 are Nepalese and one person is from Bhutan.
According to media reports, many of the students who returned to India were pursuing MBBS degrees.
