Dhaka: Violence in Bangladesh escalated further on Thursday. Students set fire to a building of the country's state broadcaster. A day earlier, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina addressed the nation by appearing on the network to calm the clashes. So far, the death toll in violence in Bangladesh has risen to 32.

The Indian High Commission in Dhaka has advised its citizens to avoid travelling. Earlier, violent protests broke out here on Tuesday itself. In which six people died in clashes between students with members of the student wing of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's ruling party Awami League. Unrest continued on Thursday as well, when the Dhaka Tribune reported clashes between students in Merul Badda near Brac University.

Police used tear gas to disperse the crowd. This is the largest nationwide protest since Prime Minister Hasina was re-elected for a fourth term. The reason for this is believed to be high unemployment among the youth. According to statistics, about a fifth of the country with a population of 170 million is unemployed or out of education.

Hundreds of protesters demanding reform of the quota system for government jobs surrounded riot police. They chased the police away. They reached BTV's headquarters in Dhaka and set fire to the channel's reception building and several parked vehicles. Several people were trapped inside the office but were evacuated safely.

According to media reports, 25 more people died in clashes on Thursday. University students in Dhaka and other cities have been protesting for more than a week against the system of reservation in public sector jobs, including reservation for relatives of war heroes who fought for the country's independence from Pakistan in 1971.

Police have been using rubber bullets, tear gas and noise grenades to disperse the protesters, but to no avail.
Metro stations in the capital were closed due to the violence. The government has also ordered an internet shutdown. Outage monitor Netblocks said Bangladesh was facing an “almost complete internet shutdown”.

The government has deployed Border Guard Bangladesh personnel across the country, including the capital, to maintain law and order.

The Sheikh Hasina government has ordered schools and universities to close indefinitely. On Wednesday, PM Hasina appeared on a broadcaster and condemned the “killing” of protesters and vowed that those responsible would be punished regardless of their political affiliation. However, the violence escalated the next day.

The students are demanding an end to the quota system, under which more than half of government jobs are reserved for specific groups, including children of veterans of the country's 1971 liberation war against Pakistan.

According to media reports, the scheme also benefits children of pro-government groups supporting Hasina. Meanwhile, human rights groups have accused the Hasina government of suppressing dissent. Bangladesh's junior minister Junaid Ahmed Palak justified the internet ban, saying that social media has been 'used as a weapon to spread rumours, lies and misinformation'.

Law Minister Anisul Haque said in a press conference on Thursday that the government has decided to hold talks with the protesting students.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has tasked him and Education Minister Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury to hold talks. A spokesman for the protesters later said they no longer wanted to negotiate with the government and Nazmul Hasan. He said, “Instead, we demand the immediate issuance of a gazette notification to cancel the quota in government jobs.”