By NEW DELHI — Bangladesh announced a nationwide curfew on Friday evening after clashes between police and various student groups killed dozens of people amid a violent backlash to a new policy to reserve a portion of government jobs for descendants of the nation’s freedom fighters.
In the capital, Dhaka, protesters attacked the state television headquarters and set fire to police booths Thursday as they called for a “complete shutdown” of the country. Running street battles between security forces using rubber bullets and tear gas and crudely armed protesters forced life in several neighborhoods to a halt, with streets emptying of traffic and even the cabinet canceling its meetings, Bangladeshi media reported.
More than 150 students were being treated at a Dhaka hospital for injuries after being hit by rubber bullets, Agence France-Presse reported. There were also reports of clashes between protesters agitating against the job quotas and the student wing of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s ruling party, the Awami League.
