Police in Bangladesh fired tear gas and lobbed sound grenades on Wednesday to scatter protesters marching to demonstrate against violence that killed at least 150 people this month during student-led agitation against job reservations.
The unrest is the biggest test facing Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, 76, since she won a fourth straight term in January elections that were boycotted by the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party and also marred by deadly protests.
Police said they had to use force when protesters in the northeastern district of Sylhet broke through barricades to head for the courts.
Dhaka, the capital, and the southern port city of Chittagong were among several places where police and protesters scuffled, domestic media said.
The number of casualties was not immediately clear, though the media reported some injuries, with some students detained.
Wednesday’s nationwide “March for Justice” was called by the Students Against Discrimination group that was at the forefront of protests against quotas in government jobs.
Although the students had agreed to call off their protest after the Supreme Court scrapped most quotas on July 21, they turned out again to demonstrate against the deaths, arrests, and government intimidation in this month’s violence.
International rights groups have condemned close to 10,000 arrests over the past two weeks on charges of involvement in clashes and destruction of government property.
At an event in Dhaka, Hasina said Bangladesh had appealed to the United Nations and various international bodies for help.
Thousands were injured as security forces fired rubber bullets, and tear gas and lobbed sound grenades to disperse tens of thousands of protesters who flooded into the streets.
