Student group suspends protests over death toll

DHAKA: The Bangladeshi student group leading demonstrations that have spiralled into deadly violence suspended protests Monday for 48 hours, with its leader saying they had not wanted reform “at the expense of so much blood”.

What began as demonstrations against politicised admission quotas for sought-after government jobs snowballed into some of the worst unrest of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s tenure.

A curfew has been imposed and soldiers are patrolling cities across the South Asian country, while a nationwide internet blackout since Thursday has drastically restricted the flow of information to the outside world.

“We are suspending the shutdown protests for 48 hours,” Nahid Islam, the top leader of the main protest organiser Students Against Discrimination, told AFP from his hospital bed.

He was being treated for his injuries after being beaten by people he accused of being undercover police, he said.

“We demand that during this period the government withdraws the curfew, restores the internet and stops targeting the student protesters.”

On Sunday, the Supreme Court pared back the number of reserved jobs for specific groups, including the descendants of “freedom fighters” from Bangladesh’s 1971 liberation war against Pakistan.

“We started this movement for reforming the quota, but did not want it at the expense of so much blood and so much killing.”

At least 163 people have died in clashes, including several police officers, according to an AFP count of victims reported by police and hospitals.