Bangladesh shuts schools nationwide after six killed in protests
The Peninsula
Dhaka: Bangladesh ordered schools and universities around the country to close indefinitely on Tuesday after six students were killed in protests that...
Dhaka: Bangladesh ordered schools and universities around the country to close indefinitely on Tuesday after six students were killed in protests that prompted the mobilisation of paramilitaries to keep order.
Every high school, university and Islamic seminary around the country was told to remain shut until further notice following weeks of escalating demonstrations against civil service hiring policies.
Tuesday saw a significant escalation in violence as demonstrators and pro-government student groups attacked each other with hurled bricks and bamboo rods, and police dispersed rallies with tear gas and rubber bullets.
Education ministry spokesman M. A. Khair told AFP the shutdown order was issued for "the security of the students".
Khair later told AFP the order had been extended to include universities, where most students participating in the protests are enrolled.