Bangladesh anti-quota protests push nation on edge as death toll rises to 32

Students in Bangladesh set fire to the country's state broadcaster headquarters on Thursday (July 18). The escalation occurred a day after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina appeared on the network while appealing for peace as fierce clashes continue to take a heavy toll on Bangladeshi lives and their lifelines.

At the time of filing this report, at least 32 people were reported dead in the clashes.

Bangladesh student protests: What is happening?

On Thursday (July 18), hundreds of protesters demanding reform of civil service hiring rules overwhelmed the riot police, who had fired at them with rubber bullets. The mob of students was seen chasingthe retreating officers to state broadcaster BTV headquarters in the capital Dhaka.

The crowd then set ablaze the network's reception building, and dozens of vehicles parked outside, a BTV official told news agency AFP.

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The building was later evacuated.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's government has ordered schools and universities to close indefinitely amid escalating demonstrations.

The premier appeared on the broadcaster on Wednesday night to condemn the "murder" of protesters and vow that those responsible will be punished regardless of their political affiliation.

But violence has worsened despite her appeal for calm as police again attempted to break up demonstrations with rubber bullets and tear gas volleys.

"We've got seven dead here," an official at Uttara Crescent Hospital in the capital Dhaka, who asked not to be named for fear of reprisal, told AFP.

"The first two were students with rubber bullet injuries. The other five had gunshot injuries."

Nearly 1,000 others had been treated at the hospital for injuries sustained during clashes with police, the official said, adding that many had rubber bullet wounds.

Why are Bangladeshi students protesting?

Students are demanding an end to a quota system that reserves more than half of civil service posts for specific groups, including children of veterans from the country's 1971 liberation war against Pakistan.

Critics say the scheme benefits children of pro-government groups that back Prime Minister SheikhHasina, 76, who has ruled the country since 2009 and won her fourth consecutive election in January.

Bangladeshis have reported widespread mobile internet outages around the country on Thursday, two days after internet providers cut off access to Facebook, the protest campaign's key organising platform.

Apart frompolice crackdowns, demonstrators and students allied to Sheikh Hasina'sruling Awami League have also battled each other on the streets with bricks and bamboo rods.

(With inputs from agencies)