Violent clashes erupt between police and protesters in Dhaka even after 6 die during campus protests

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — Several major universities in Bangladesh agreed to shut their doors Wednesday after at least six people died in violent campus protests, while protest organizers announced they would shut down all but essential services and relentless clashes between demonstrators and police stretched into the night.

After two days of demonstrations and unrest over the allocation of civil service jobs, the University Grants Commission urged all public and private universities to close until further notice. About a dozen major public universities said they would, according to officials and media reports. Wednesday was a public holiday in Bangladesh, so the number of universities that closed was expected to become clearer on Thursday.

Among them was Dhaka University, which was at the center of the violence. It has suspended classes and closed its dormitories indefinitely, a university official told The Associated Press, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to media.

On Wednesday, the protesters announced they would enforce “a complete shutdown” across the country on Thursday in response to security officials' continued attacks on the campus demonstrators.