Bangladesh student leaders order 48-hour halt to protests over death toll: ‘so much blood’

The Bangladeshi student group leading demonstrations that have spiralled into deadly violence suspended protests on Monday for 48 hours, with its leader saying they had not wanted reform “at the expense of so much blood”.

What began as demonstrations against politicised admission quotas for sought-after government jobs snowballed into some of the worst unrest of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s tenure.

A curfew has been imposed and soldiers are patrolling cities across the South Asian country, while a nationwide internet blackout since Thursday has drastically restricted the flow of information to the outside world.

“We are suspending the shutdown protests for 48 hours,” said Nahid Islam, the top leader of the main protest organiser Students Against Discrimination.

He was being treated for his injuries after being beaten by people he accused of being undercover police, he said.

“We demand that during this period the government withdraws the curfew, restores the internet and stops targeting the student protesters.”

On Sunday, the Supreme Court pared back the number of reserved jobs for specific groups, including the descendants of “freedom fighters” from Bangladesh’s 1971 liberation war against Pakistan.

“We started this movement for reforming the quota,” Islam said.

“But we did not want quota reform at the expense of so much blood, so much killing, so much damage to life and property.”

At least 163 people have died in clashes, including several police officers, according to victims reported by police and hospitals.

Sporadic violence continued on Monday, with four people brought to the Dhaka Medical College Hospital with bullet injuries, according to a witness.

Government officials have repeatedly blamed the protesters and opposition