Internet and mobile phone services have been suspended in Bangladesh as the protests over the allocation of government jobs turned violent on Thursday, according to various media reports.
At the centre of escalated demonstrations are students, supporters of the government (primarily students), and armed forces. The protests, which started countrywide weeks previously, have taken a violent turn, with at least 32 reportedly killed to date.
On Friday (today), the authorities completely suspended the internet and mobile phone services across the country. The broadcast of TV news channels has gone off air, too.
Cellular and broadband internet access is reportedly down in Dhaka — Bangladesh’s capital — and leading social media platforms such as Facebook and WhatsApp are facing complete disruption.
NetBlocks, which tracks global internet outages, confirmed the connectivity blackout in Bangladesh, stating that a “nation-scale internet shutdown” is currently in place.
“The disruption prevents families from contacting each other and stifles efforts to document human rights violations,” NetBlocks posted on X (formerly Twitter).
The protestors demand that the existing quota system, which allocates roughly 30 per cent of government jobs for relatives of those who fought in the 1971 independence war, be ended and a merit-based system be introduced.
