More than 500 people arrested in the capital after violence

Opposition leaders, students arrested by police… “HASAt least 532 people have been arrested following the violence”Dhaka police spokesman Faruk Hossain told AFP on Monday, July 22. “Among them are BNP leaders“, the Bangladesh National Party, an opposition party, he added. For three weeks, the country has been gripped by almost daily violent protests since early July, which have left at least 155 people dead.

A reform of hiring quotas in the civil service triggered this protest. In June, the government wanted to reintroduce a quota system for access to civil service positions, and reserve a third of jobs for the descendants of those who fought for the country’s independence in 1971.

As a result, the government imposed a curfew on July 19 and deployed the army to maintain order, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s office told AFP. Public gatherings in the capital Dhaka are banned for “ensure public safety” But the violence escalates. Thousands storm a prison, freeing more than 800 inmates before setting fire to part of the facility. Late that night, the government announces a 24-hour curfew and the deployment of the army to maintain order in the cities.