The Bangladesh government imposed a “near-total” suspension of mobile internet services on Thursday after reports of violence by student protesters, a censorship monitoring group reported.
The Bangladesh government implemented a “near-total, nationwide internet shutdown,” digital governance and cybersecurity watchdog NetBlocks reported on Twitter.
The “new measures follow previous efforts to throttle social media and restrict mobile data services and come amid a rise in deaths during student protests,” the account said.
⚠️ Verified: Live Network Data Show #Bangladesh A near-total, nationwide internet shutdown is now in the midst of a massive lockdown. The new measures follow earlier efforts to throttle social media and restrict mobile data services, and come amid reports of an increase in the death toll during student protests. pic.twitter.com/nMwwS0MDnC
— Netblocks (@netblocks) July 18, 2024
Internet service was slowed to prevent protesters from organising. Social media Officials told The New York Times they accused the platform of abusive behavior.
Violent protests have turned violent in Bangladesh, a country of 180 million people that is the world’s most populous country (second only to Monaco).
A few hours ago, mobile internet was cut off across the country.
At the root of the protests are students demanding the resignation of… pic.twitter.com/qOi2TTiM0p
— Sprinter (@SprinterFamily) July 18, 2024
Video footage showed people rioting and clashing with police, and rioters also reportedly set fire to the headquarters of state broadcaster BTV in Dhaka. Parents. (Related: ‘Destroy this woman’: Police arrest mother for inciting riot that involved 500 people)
The students are protesting against high unemployment and a quota that reserves 56 percent of government jobs for the families of veterans who fought in the 1971 War of Independence. The New York Times Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina abolished the government’s quota system in 2018 after widespread student protests, but the policy was reinstated by the country’s Supreme Court in June, according to the outlet, which reportedly led to the current wave of protests.
Tensions escalated on Monday when students and police reportedly clashed at Dhaka University, the Associated Press reported. reportTwenty-five people have reportedly died since the incident.
Government authorities ordered the closure of universities in Bangladesh and law enforcement agencies raided the headquarters of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). according to Protesters reportedly announced on Wednesday they would instigate a “total shutdown” of the country’s transport system, excluding emergency services. The BNP supported the move, the media outlet reported.
