At least 91 people were killed and scores injured in clashes in Bangladesh on Sunday, as police fired tear gas and lobbed stun grenades to disperse tens of thousands of protesters calling for Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to resign.
The interior ministry declared an indefinite nationwide curfew starting at 6 pm (1200 GMT) on Sunday, the first time it has taken such a step during the current protests that began last month.
The fresh clashes erupted between Bangladeshi PM Sheikh Hasina's supporters and the anti-government protestors, who are demanding the Prime Minister to step down.
The deaths were reported in the capital Dhaka and in the northern districts of Bogra, Pabna and Rangpur, as well as in Magura in the west, Comilla in the east, and Barisal and Feni in the south.
India's ministry of external affairs issued an advisory against travelling to Bangladesh and also urged those currently in the violence-hit country to "exercise extreme caution, restrict their movements and remain in contact with the High Commission of India in Dhaka."
Fresh clashes eruptIntensifying the protest, the demonstrators called for "non-cooperation," urging citizens not to pay taxes and utility bills and not show up for work on Sunday, a working day in Bangladesh.
Offices, banks and factories remained open, while people in Dhaka and other cities faced challenges getting to work as protestors blocked major highways, causing massive trouble for commuters.
Blocking of the highways was part of the non-cooperation plan the protestors carried out to press for the government's resignation.
In the wake of the protest, at least three died in Pabna after the clashes, according to witnesses.
Police claimed that they had not fired bullets, but improvised explosives were detonated, turning the area into a battleground.
Two construction workers were killed on their way to work and 30 were injured in the central district of Munsiganj, during a three-way clash of protesters, police and ruling party activists, witnesses told news agency Reuters.
The clashes further flared up after thousands of members of the ruling Awami League party and its associate bodies took to the streets for counterprotests.
Govt shuts down internetThe Sheikh Hasina government for the second time during the recent protests, shut down high-speed internet services, mobile operators said.
Social media platforms Facebook and WhatsApp were not available, even via broadband connections.
Authorities have also closed schools and universities across the country.
PM Hasina calls protest 'sabotage'PM Sheikh Hasina said those protesting were not students but terrorists and urged people to "suppress them with a firm hand".
Those engaging in sabotage in the name of protest across the country are not students but terrorists, she said, according to Prothom Alo newspaper.
Hasina called a meeting of the National Committee on Security Affairs at Ganabhaban, the newspaper reported citing sources from the Prime Minister's Office (PMO).
"I appeal to the countrymen to suppress these terrorists with a firm hand," she said.
The meeting was attended by the chiefs of the Army, Navy, Air Force, police, RAB, BGB, and other top security officers.
India issues advisoryMinistry of external affairs issued an advisory to Indian nationals advising against travelling to Bangladesh till further notice.
The also issued helpline numbers for those currently in Bangladesh. "All Indian nationals presently in Bangladesh are advised to exercise extreme caution, restrict their movements and remain in contact with the High Commission of India in Dhaka through their emergency phone numbers : +8801958383679, +8801958383680, +8801937400591," MEA said in its press release.
What triggered the protest? The demonstrations started last month after the high court reinstated a quota system for government jobs, overturning a 2018 decision by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's government to scrap it.
The system reserved 30% of jobs for family members of freedom fighters in the 1971 war for independence from Pakistan.
At that time too, it triggered similar student protests. But the Supreme Court suspended the high court order after the government's appeal, setting August 7 as the next date to hear the government's challenge.
However, the students stepped up their protest when Hasina refused to meet their demands, citing the court proceedings.