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00:00Here in Dhaka, military personnel patrol the streets with a shoot-on-sight order.
00:06They're maintaining a tight grip on the indefinite curfew that was imposed on residents just
00:10days ago, after clashes between student protesters and security forces over government job quotas
00:16left 100 people dead.
00:18We can't communicate with anyone. There is an internet blackout. We can't go to the market.
00:23Children can't go to school. We cannot go outside of our homes. And when we do, law
00:30enforcement detain us.
00:32Students have been demanding an end to what they say is a discriminatory quota system
00:37that reserves a third of government jobs for relatives of those who fought in the country's
00:411971 War of Independence.
00:44On Sunday, Bangladesh's top courts ruled to scale back most of the quotas, saying now
00:49only 5% of roles can be retained for veterans' descendants.
00:53In the wake of the ruling, the student group at the helm suspended its protest Monday for
00:5848 hours, demanding justice for those killed in the violence and the resignation of those
01:03involved, as well as a restoration of internet connectivity.
01:07We didn't want quota reform at the cost of so much blood, so much killing, so much damage
01:12to life and property. Me and many of my coordinators are fearful for our lives.
01:18In Bangladesh, the human rights situation has gravely collapsed. People can't enjoy
01:24their basic rights. They're not getting internet access. They can't even speak.
01:30Accused of using the quota to stack public jobs with loyalists from her party, the Prime
01:35Minister has defended her decisions, stating she only deployed the army when the protests
01:39were halted and that the curfew would only be lifted when the situation improved.