Bangladesh this week announced the closure of all public and private universities for an indefinite period due to massive countrywide protests at dozens of universities by students demanding reforms to the jobs quota system for coveted public services posts.
The protests that began on 1 July turned violent this week, rising from 32 deaths on Thursday to over 100 people reported killed by Saturday, as well as hundreds injured as a strict curfew with a 'shoot-on-sight' order was imposed across Bangladesh on Friday.
The government deployed the paramilitary force Border Guard Bangladesh from Monday afternoon in the capital Dhaka and in Chattogram (Chittagong), Bogura, Rangpur, Rajshahi and Gazipur, in an effort to keep the situation under control.
