Bangladesh is heading toward a nationwide shutdown of businesses and transportation services from Thursday following violent student-led anti-quota protests that have resulted in 32 deaths and hundreds of injuries.

Tensions escalated when protesters set fire to the state TV headquarters amid reports that many are feared trapped inside the BTV building.

An official at the station said, as quoted by AFP, that hundreds of protesters stormed the premises, igniting at least 60 vehicles and an office building.

"They first torched a police post at Rampura after police opened fire at them," he said, in reference to a neighborhood in the capital Dhaka.

"They chased the police officers when they took refuge at the BTV office. Angry protesters then caused mayhem here," he stressed.

In a post on Facebook, BTV described the fire as "catastrophic" and "spreading rapidly".

Bangladeshi state TV headquarters SET ablaze, leaving 'many' trapped inside: station

Protesters set fire to the headquarters of Bangladesh's primary state broadcaster, BTV, trapping "many people" inside, according to posts on the network's verified Facebook page. pic.twitter.com/1SyjDQ1weR

— Piyush Gupta (@PiyushNeekhra) July 18, 2024

"We seek the cooperation of the Fire Service. Many people are trapped inside," the broadcaster added.

Why are students protesting?

Angered by high youth unemployment, with approximately 32 million people unable to find work or receive an education, students organized demonstrations demanding the abolition of the job quota that allocates 30% for families of veterans who served in the 1971 independence war against Pakistan.

Demonstrators have stated that the job quota ultimately favors supporters of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's party, excluding new job seekers from the labor force. As a result, they are also demanding the replacement of the current political system with a merit-based one. 

Government jobs are highly coveted in Bangladesh and are now more pivotal as the country’s economy struggles to recover from the pandemic and years of strong growth. Essentially, the anti-quota protests were sparked last month but escalated to violence earlier this week, alongside Bangladesh’s main opposition party joining the demonstrations.

Videos from a private university in Dhaka circulating on social media depicted students clashing with police before advancing to block a major road. In some areas in Dhaka, members of the student wing of the ruling Awami League party attempted to remove demonstrators from the streets.

Prime Minister Hasina's role

Prime Minister Hasina has served for four consecutive terms following her re-election in January. Ultimately, the protests created various issues for the diplomat, whose government is seeking funds from creditors and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to improve the nation’s foreign exchange reserves.

The politician asked student protesters in a televised speech on Wednesday to have trust in the legal system where the quota system is being debated while pledging to prosecute the “criminals” responsible for the invocation of violence. In addition, she highlighted that a judicial committee will be assembled to probe the "anarchy".

Due to the nationwide shutdown, the government posted parliamentary troops and the police together across the country in an attempt to tighten security.