Bangladesh: Protesters set light to state broadcaster

At least 19 people have died in clashes between students and police in Bangladesh on Thursday, with protesters attacking the head office of the country's state-run Bangladesh Television with many staff said to be trapped inside.

Students have been protesting for weeks against a quota system for government jobs, but the violence has escalated dramatically in recent days.

Bangladesh's Law Minister Anisul Huq said in the afternoon that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina asked him to sit down with the protesters for dialogue, and he was ready to speak with them on Thursday if protesters were willing.

On Wednesday night, the protesters announced they would enforce "a complete shutdown" allowing only emergency services across the country on Thursday in response to security officials' continued attacks on the campus demonstrators. 

A post on BTV's verified Facebook page said the fire was "catastrophic" and "spreading fast."

"We seek the cooperation of the Fire Service. Many people are trapped inside," the broadcaster said.

The AFP news agency cited a BTV official as saying that hundreds of protesters had stormed the premises, setting alight at least 60 vehicles and an office building.

"They first torched a police post at Rampura after police opened fire at them," he said, referring to a neighborhood in the capital Dhaka.

"They chased the police officers when they took refuge at the BTV office. Angry protesters then caused mayhem here."

Mobile internet services cut

Bangladeshi authorities cut several mobile internet services on Thursday for "security" reasons following the intense violence surrounding the student protests.

"Mobile internet has been temporarily suspended due to various rumors and the unstable situation created... on social media," Zunaid Ahmed Palak, the junior information technology minister, told reporters.

Services would be restored once the situation returned to normal, Palak added. Shops and offices were open in Dhaka, the capital, but there were fewer buses on the streets. The government has ordered schools and universities to close indefinitely amid the protests.