POLICE and security officials in Bangladesh fired bullets and tear gas at protesters and banned all gatherings in the capital today.

Internet and mobile services were cut off after days of deadly clashes over the allocation of government jobs.

The protests, which began weeks ago but escalated sharply on Monday, represent the biggest challenge to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina since she won a fourth consecutive term in a January election that was boycotted by the main opposition parties.

The latest clashes follow the bloodiest day of the protests to date, with local media reporting 22 people killed as protesting students attempted to impose a “complete shutdown” on the country.

Somoy TR reported that at least four more people were killed today. 

The chaos has highlighted cracks in Bangladesh’s governance and economy and the frustration of young graduates with poor job prospects.

The government has deployed police and paramilitary forces across the capital to lock down campuses and break up protests. On Wednesday, universities including the country’s largest suspended classes and closed dormitories, and today Dhaka police said they were banning all gatherings and demonstrations in the capital.

Border officials reportedly fired at a crowd of more than 1,000 protesters who had gathered outside the head office of state-run Bangladesh Television.

The border guards are said to have shot at the crowd with rifles and sound grenades, while police officers fired tear gas and rubber bullets. 

A news producer at Bangladesh Television on Thursday told reporters: “I escaped by leaping over the wall but some of my colleagues got stuck inside. The attackers entered the building and set furniture on fire.”

Student protesters urged mosques across the country to hold funeral prayers for those who have been killed. Major universities have said they will close their doors until tensions ease.

The protesters are demanding an end to a quota system that reserves up to 30 per cent of government jobs for relatives of veterans who fought in Bangladesh’s war of independence in 1971 against Pakistan.

They argue the system is discriminatory and benefits supporters of Ms Hasina, whose Awami League party led the independence movement, and they want it replaced with a merit-based system.