News Desk

Dhaka: the capital, is in the middle of a complete internet blackout, along with phone lines also being down. Several thousand protestors stormed the state broadcaster BTV, committing several acts of vandalism including the destruction of several of its furniture and even starting a fire. The information minister of Bangladesh said broadcasts had been halted and many employees had left the building in the capital. A post from BTV’s official Facebook page warned many were still trapped in the building, urging the fire service to put the fire out.

A senior BTV journalist told reporters the situation was “so bad” they had to leave the premises immediately, leaving some of their colleagues behind. On Wednesday, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina went on the network, urging for calm after days of violent protests, which have resulted in the deaths of at least 19 people, and hundreds injured. Students have been rallying for the change of a system which unfairly advantages the relatives of veterans from country’s war for independence with a third of public sector jobs. The students argue that this system is discriminatory, asking for recruitment based on merit.

The government’s countermeasure to alleviate the protests was to switch off the country’s mobile internet, attempting to slow the students down. However, it backfired and became the deadliest protest so far, said the news agency AFP. Citing from hospitals, they reported that 32 people have tragically passed away during the protests, while BBC’s Bengali services confirmed 19 deaths so far. One of the victims was a journalist for the Dhaka times.

Sheikh Hasina called out the protesters’ deaths as ‘ murder’ in her television appearance on Wednesday, which were dismissed by protest organizers, who rejected any offers of negotiations from the government. Leader of the protest, Nahid Iqbal, said the government had killed so many people that they cannot join any discussions under the current circumstances. Another student, 22 year old Aleem Khan, told reporters that the Prime ministry was asking to end the violence while attacking students using the police and pro-ruling party groups.