UPDATE - 147 people killed in Bangladesh student protests, minister confirms

UPDATES HEADLINE, DECK, DEATH TOLL AND BODY

By SM Najmus Sakib and Faisal Mahmud

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AA) – In first remarks on death toll, Bangladesh Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan confirmed on Sunday that at least 147 people were killed during recent violence triggered by student protests over government job quotas.

Speaking to reporters in Dhaka, Asaduzzaman Khan said the deceased include students, police, activists, and people from various professions, adding that further investigation is underway to determine the total death toll. Independent estimates put the toll at more than 200.

Earlier in the day, the government restored mobile internet services after 10 days of blackout.

Junior Minister for Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology Zunaid Ahmed Palak said the services would resume at 3 p.m. local time (0900 GMT).

He said that since customers were not able to use the packages they had paid for, users will get a 5 GB data bonus for three days.

Social media platforms such as WhatsApp, Facebook, TikTok and YouTube, however, still remain restricted.

The government had shut mobile internet on July 17 and broadband service on July 18 amid escalating violence during the protests.

Broadband internet resumed on July 23, and a curfew imposed to handle the law and order situation has started to relax. Schools and other educational institutions remain closed.

Clashes started on July 15 between the police and student protesters demanding an end to a quota that reserved 30% of government jobs for relatives of veterans who fought in the 1971 war of independence.

In the wake of the chaos, the Supreme Court ordered the government to scale back job quotas. The 30% quota for veterans’ descendants was cut to 5%, and quota for ethnic minorities, transgender people and disabled people was limited to 2%.

- Extensive raids

Amid escalating protests, clashes, and acts of vandalism related to the quota reform movement, law enforcement agencies across Bangladesh have launched a series of extensive raids, causing widespread apprehension among the population.

In Dhaka, law enforcers have adopted a strategic approach, dividing the city into designated zones for targeted operations.

Sources involved in the raids have told Anadolu that the tactic involves encircling a targeted area with hundreds of law enforcement personnel, effectively sealing all exits to prevent any suspects from escaping.

The operation, referred to as a "block raid," involves the systematic search of homes based on intelligence information to apprehend individuals suspected of involvement in the unrest.