The turmoil in Dhaka and elsewhere comes as student leaders launch a civil disobedience campaign to demand that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina step down.
Entrances to Dhaka have been sealed, with army and police troops deployed throughout the city, and the government has declared a three-day holiday, closing businesses and courts.
The student protests began with a demand to eliminate quotas in civil service positions but grew into a larger anti-government campaign. The total death toll has risen to almost 280, with the majority of protestors killed by security forces.
On Sunday, thousands of protesters attacked a police station in the Sirajganj district, killing thirteen cops, according to police.
Police and governing party supporters were observed firing live ammunition at anti-government protesters. The police also deployed tear gas and rubber bullets.
The government ordered mobile companies to turn down their 4G services on Monday, according to reports.
According to NetBlocks, an internet freedom watchdog organization, the country is “again in the midst of a near-total national internet shutdown after earlier social media and mobile cuts.”.
