After the attack last week that shut down the Bangladesh government’s tv station BTV in Dakar, the  government radio network, Bangladesh Betar has also gone silent.

The attacks occurred after the Prime Minister appeared on the tv network calling for calm in the face of increasingly violent protests in the country.

Protests first broke out on university campuses earlier this month about quotas for government jobs. Quotas reserving 30% of government jobs for veterans who fought in the 1971 independence war and their children, were abolished in 2018, but were reinstated last month after a court order.

Students argue that the quotas disadvantage them getting jobs and also entrench loyalty and support for the current government within the public service.

Hundreds of protesters clashed with riot police who had fired rubber bullets at them, then the protesters invaded the BTV compound and set several buildings alight. Staff fled to safety and the tv station went off air.

The BTV compound is several blocks away from the main radio building in Dakar, but it appears that radio has also been affected by the violence in the city, with no services now available and the Bangladesh Betar website down at the time of writing.

The station’s main radio stream has fallen silent.

Other private radio stations are still on air but appear to have  departed from their regular formats to play music at this time.