Bangladesh Government Imposes Curfew After Student Riots

22 August 2007

Bangladesh's military-backed government has imposed a curfew on six cities, including the capital, following violent protests against emergency rule.

The government says the curfew will start at 8 p.m. local time (1400 UTC) Wednesday and will continue indefinitely.

Protesting students shout slogans in front of a burning roadblock, demanding an end to emergency rule near the Dhaka University campus in Dhaka, Bangladesh, 22 Aug 2007
Protesting students shout slogans in front of a burning roadblock, demanding an end to emergency rule near the Dhaka University campus in Dhaka, Bangladesh, 22 Aug 2007
The measure was imposed after three days of clashes between students and security forces on university campuses. One person was killed and at least 100 others injured in the violence Wednesday in Dhaka and other cities.

The protests started at Dhaka University Monday, following a dispute between students and soldiers at a soccer (football) game.

The conflict flared into a larger strike against the presence of troops at Dhaka University.

Soldiers had been stationed at the university since January, when the military-backed interim government imposed a state of emergency and banned all political activities and demonstrations.

The government expressed regret for the violence and ordered the troops to withdraw from the campus Wednesday. Officials have called for a full judicial inquiry into the incident that led to the violence.

Some information for this report was provided by AFP, AP and Reuters.