Bangladesh ends 11-day mobile internet blackout after deadly protests

Bangladesh restored mobile internet services on Sunday following an 11-day internet blackout in response to the days-long student protests over government job quotas.

The country’s 4G mobile internet services resumed Sunday, following a meeting with internet service providers and other leaders, Zunaid Ahmed Palak, the state minister for telecommunications and information communication technology, announced on social media.

Palak said the internet providers “suffered financial losses” and leaders decided to give all internet users a “5G internet bonus” for the next three days.

The South Asian nation has been roiled with chaos and violence as student protesters demand an end to a quota that reserved 30 percent of government jobs for relatives of veterans who fought in Bangladesh’s war of independence in 1971, The Associated Press (AP) reported. The students have argued the quota system is discriminatory and began peaceful protests after a High Court bench reinstated the quotas last month after they were abolished in 2018, Al Jazeera reported.

Protesters clashed with police and nearly 200 deaths were reported as of last Thursday, the news wire added.

The internet shutdown, imposed by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government on July 17, made it more difficult for demonstrators to communicate with one another, a key protest organizer told the AP.

The government also imposed a curfew with a shoot-on-sight order, which was later relaxed to 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., while offices and banks also reopened last week with restricted hours, the news wire added.

The government pledged student protesters would not face legal action, though media reports said nearly 2,700 people were arrested across the country.

The Associated Press contributed.