Muhammad Mohit
Dhaka: Students protesting against the quota system in government jobs in Bangladesh set fire to the headquarters of the state television on Thursday.
The death toll has reached 32 during the ongoing student protests in Bangladesh.
Protesters set fire to the headquarters of state-run Bangladesh Television (BTV) on Thursday, a day after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajid appeared on state television to appeal to students to remain peaceful.
On Thursday, when the police fired rubber bullets at hundreds of protesters, the protesters became enraged, forcing the policemen to retreat.
The riot police retreated and entered the headquarters of BTV, followed by the protesters who also entered the office of the state-run TV station.
An officer of BTV said that after entering the office, angry protesters set fire to the TV building and several vehicles parked outside.
State TV said that many employees of the channel were trapped inside the building, but later a TV official said that “all the trapped employees have been safely taken out of the building.”
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajid’s government has closed schools and universities indefinitely due to student protests, while the police are taking measures to control the law and order situation in the country.
Sheikh Hasina Wajid, in a televised address to the nation on Wednesday night, condemned the killings of protesters and announced that those involved in the killings would be punished regardless of their political affiliations.
However, despite their appeals for peace, violence escalated on the streets and the police fired tear gas shells and rubber bullets to disperse the protesters.
At least 25 people were killed in violent protests on Thursday, after seven protesters were killed earlier this week.
According to information provided by the hospital, two-thirds of the deaths were caused by police weapons.
