Authorities in Bangladesh yesterday urged all universities to close, the day after at least six people died in violent protests over the allocation of government jobs.
Dhaka University, at the center of the violence, suspended classes and closed its dormitories indefinitely, a university official told reporters on condition of anonymity, as he was not authorized to speak to media.
The Bangladeshi University Grants Commission asked all public and private universities to close until further notice to protect students, but the request did not have legal force and it was not immediately clear how many universities would comply.
Photo: AP
Authorities said that at least six people were killed on Tuesday in violence across the country as student protesters clashed with other students and police.
Violence was reported across the capital, Dhaka, as well as in Chattogram and Rangpur.
The protests began late last month, demanding an end to a quota that reserves 30 percent of government jobs for relatives of veterans of Bangladesh’s 1971 war of independence.
Overnight, Dhaka police raided the headquarters of the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), accusing it of playing a role in the violence.
Detective chief Harun-or-Rashid told reporters that police had arrested seven members of the party’s student wing in connection with two buses that were set on fire on Tuesday.
Detectives found 100 crude bombs, 500 wooden and bamboo sticks, and five to six bottles of gasoline in the raid, he said.
Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, a senior BNP leader, accused the government of “staging” the raid to divert attention from protests.
Police yesterday clashed with BNP supporters in Dhaka’s Paltan area after a funeral ritual for the six people who died on Tuesday.
Police official Sentu Mia said they used rubber bullets to disperse people after they attacked police, with several protesters arrested.
BNP secretary-general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir accused police of barring its supporters from the funeral prayers.
A senior leader of the ruling Awami League Party said that the opposition was using the protests as a weapon against Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
Protesters should be patient until the Bangladeshi Supreme Court hears petitions involving the quota issues next month, an Awami League official said.
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