Over 100 people have been killed in violent protests in Bangladesh. The government is now deploying the military and imposing a curfew to put an end to the unrest.
The police in the capital Dhaka banned all demonstrations and public gatherings on Friday to try to quell the unrest. But it did not prevent further clashes between police and demonstrators in the 20-million-strong city, despite the government shutting down the internet.
Our protests will continue, says demonstrator Sarwar Tushar to the AFP news agency.
According to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's office, the government has decided to impose a curfew across the country and deploy the military to restore order.
Police gunfire
At least 52 people were killed in the capital on Friday, according to a hospital list obtained by AFP. Police gunfire is said to be responsible for half of the deaths this week, according to hospital sources.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk says the attacks on student protests are "shocking and unacceptable".
"There is a need for swift, impartial and thorough investigations into these attacks and those responsible for them," he says in a statement.
The police claim that demonstrators have vandalized and set fire to several buildings, including a TV station and several government and police buildings. A prison in the city of Narsingdi northeast of Dhaka was stormed on Friday and hundreds of prisoners were freed before the building was set on fire.
Opposition leader arrested
The police have also arrested Ruhul Kabir Rizvi Ahmed from the largest opposition party, Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). He is accused of "hundreds of crimes", according to the police spokesperson, but no further details are given about the reasons for his arrest.
Students have been protesting for several weeks against a quota system for jobs in the public sector. The system favors, according to demonstrators, groups allied with 76-year-old Hasina, who has ruled the country since 2009 and won a new term in January after a disputed election process boycotted by the opposition.
At least 26 regions around the country have been affected by clashes between students and police.
