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

The premier canceled her trips to Spain and Brazil “due to the prevailing situation,” AFP cited her press secretary, Nayeemul Islam Khan, as saying. The South Asian nation, which reimposed a curfew Saturday, declared two days of public holidays that will last through Monday, effectively closing government and private offices.

The administration has stepped up efforts to quell clashes between police and the students protesting the government’s job quota policy, deploying the army to support local law enforcement agencies and imposing an internet shutdown that has affected ATMs and mobile money companies. At least 123 people have been killed in the violence this week, AFP said, citing its count of victims reported by police and hospitals.

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 reported death toll or the outages.

India’s foreign ministry said in a statement Saturday that it was in touch with more than 4,000 students that were stranded at various universities in its neighboring 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 statement.

Heavy-handed crackdown

“Authorities must immediately conduct a prompt, independent and impartial investigation into the deaths,” Amnesty International said in a July 19 statement, calling it a heavy-handed crackdown. “Blanket shutdowns impact people’s safety, security, mobility, 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’s actions.

Students’ frustrations have centered 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.

With assistance from Arun Devnath.

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