Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina shelved her overseas travel plans that were to start on Sunday, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported, amid escalating protests that have killed dozens and triggered a nationwide internet blackout.

The prime minister cancelled her trips to Spain and Brazil “due to the prevailing situation”, AFP cited her press secretary, Nayeemul Islam Khan, as saying. At least 105 people have been killed in clashes this week between student protesters and police, AFP reported, citing its count of victims reported by hospitals. 

The administration has stepped up efforts to quell clashes between police and the students protesting the government’s job quota policy. The army has been deployed to support local law enforcement agencies, a curfew is in effect, and an internet shutdown is affecting ATMs and mobile money companies.

The protests pose one of the toughest challenges to Hasina, who extended her grip on power for a fourth straight term in elections earlier this year. They come at a critical time for the economy, with Bangladesh seeking funds from creditors and the International Monetary Fund to bolster dwindling foreign-exchange reserves.

The government hasn’t commented on the reported death toll or the outages.

India’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Saturday that it was in touch with more than 4,000 students that were stranded at various universities in its neighbouring country. So far, 778 Indian students have returned by land, while around 200 boarded flights. Help has also been extended to students from Nepal and Bhutan, according to the ministry's statement.

“Authorities must immediately conduct a prompt, independent and impartial investigation into the deaths,” Amnesty International said in a statement on Friday, calling it a heavy-handed crackdown. “Blanket shutdowns impact people’s safety, security, mobility and livelihood while creating instability and panic, further undermining their trust in authorities.”

Protesters have in recent days attempted to shut down transport networks and businesses after authorities closed all universities. On Saturday, the Prime Minister Office’s website also seemed hacked and defaced, with messages seeking support against government actions.

Students’ frustrations have centred on a policy that sets aside 30% of government job openings for family members of veterans from the 1971 war of independence from Pakistan, which critics say has been abused. The anger stems also from persistently high youth unemployment that stands at about 40%, according to the latest census. 

  - Bloomberg