Bangladesh shut down internet as 90 killed in protests

Amid calls for her resignation, Ms Hasina sounded defiant. Speaking after a meeting with security chiefs on Monday, she said the protesters were “not students but terrorists who are out to destabilise the nation”.

On Sunday, Law and Justice Minister Anisul Huq told the BBC’s Newshour programme that authorities were showing “restraint”.

“If we had not shown restraint, there would have been a bloodbath. I guess our patience has limits,” he added.

Deaths and injuries have been reported across the country, including the northern districts of Bogra, Pabna and Rangpur.

Thousands of people gathered in a main square in Dhaka and there have been violent incidents in other parts of the city.

“The whole city has turned into a battleground,” a policeman, who asked not to be named, told the AFP news agency. He said a crowd of several thousand protesters had set fire to cars and motorcycles outside a hospital.

Asif Mahmud, a leading figure in the nationwide civil disobedience campaign, called on protesters to march on Dhaka on Monday.

“The time has come for the final protest,” he said.

Students Against Discrimination, the group spearheading the anti-government protests, has urged people to stop paying taxes and utility bills.

They have also called for a shutdown of factories and public transport.

In a major crackdown over the past two weeks, security forces have reportedly detained around 10,000 individuals, including opposition supporters and students.

Support for the student movement has emerged from some former military personnel, including ex-army chief General Karim Bhuiyan, who urged the current government to withdraw armed forces from the streets. Bhuiyan and others have condemned the “egregious killings, torture, disappearances, and mass arrests” taking place.

The coming days are considered critical for both sides.

The protests represent a significant challenge to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who won a fourth consecutive term in January’s elections, which were boycotted by the main opposition.

The protests began last month over a quota system that reserved one-third of civil service jobs for relatives of veterans from Bangladesh’s 1971 independence war with Pakistan. While the government has since scaled back most of the quota following a Supreme Court ruling, students continue to protest, seeking justice for those killed and injured, and now demanding Hasina’s resignation.

Hasina’s supporters have rejected calls for her resignation, though earlier she offered unconditional dialogue with the student leaders.