DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — Police imposed a strict curfew across Bangladesh and military troops patrolled parts of the capital on Saturday to quell further violence after days of clashes over the allocation of government jobs that left several people dead and hundreds injured.

The curfew follows what was likely the deadliest day yet in weeks of protests, despite a ban on public gatherings. Reports of the death toll on Friday varied, with Somoy TV reporting 43. An Associated Press reporter saw 23 bodies at Dhaka Medical College and Hospital, but it was not immediately clear if all died on Friday.

On Thursday, 22 more people were killed when student protesters attempted to force a “complete shutdown” of the country. Several more people were killed on Tuesday and Wednesday.

The protests, which began weeks ago but escalated sharply when violence erupted on Tuesday, pose the biggest challenge to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina since she came to power for a fourth consecutive term following elections in January that were boycotted by the main opposition groups.

Police and protesters clashed on the streets and on university campuses in Dhaka and other cities in the South Asian country. Authorities blocked online communications by banning mobile and internet services. Some television news channels also went offline and the websites of most newspapers in Bangladesh were unable to load or update.

Authorities could not immediately confirm the total number of deaths, but the Daily Prothom Alo newspaper reported that 103 people have died since Tuesday.

The U.S. Embassy in Dhaka said Friday that reports indicated “hundreds to possibly thousands” of wounded people in Bangladesh, adding that the situation was “extremely volatile.”

Local media also reported that about 800 inmates fled a prison in Narsingdi, a district north of the capital Dhaka, after protesters stormed the prison on Friday and set it on fire. Meanwhile, several key government websites, including those of Bangladesh’s central bank and the prime minister’s office, appeared to have been hacked.

The curfew came into effect at midnight and will be relaxed from noon to 2 p.m. to allow people to buy essentials. It will remain in place until 10 a.m. Sunday. A “shoot-at-the-face” order was also in place, giving security forces the authority to fire into crowds in extreme cases, said lawmaker Obaidul Quader, the secretary-general of the ruling Awami League party.

The chaos highlights the flaws in Bangladesh’s governance and economy, and the frustration among young people who are unable to find good jobs after graduating.

The protesters are demanding an end to a quota system that reserves up to 30% of government jobs for relatives of veterans who fought in Bangladesh’s 1971 war of independence from Pakistan. They say the system is discriminatory and benefits supporters of Hasina, whose Awami League party led the independence movement, and want it replaced with a merit-based system.

Hasina defended the quota system, saying veterans deserve utmost respect for their contribution to the war, regardless of their political affiliation.

Representatives from both sides met late Friday night to find a solution. At least three student leaders attended the meeting, demanding a reform of the quota system, an opening of student dormitories across the country and the resignation of university officials for failing to prevent campus violence.

Law Minister Anisul Huq said the government was open to discussions on the student leaders’ demands.

The protests are also supported by the main opposition party, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, which has promised to organize its own demonstrations and many of its supporters will join the student protests.

In a statement issued by the BNP on Friday, it said its supporters were not responsible for the violence and that the party did not support any sabotage for political reasons.

The Awami League and the BNP have often accused each other of fomenting political chaos and violence, most recently ahead of the country’s national elections, which were marked by a crackdown on several opposition figures. The Hasina government also accused the party of trying to disrupt the elections.

Earlier, Hasina’s government had ended the job quotas following mass student protests in 2018. But in June, Bangladesh’s Supreme Court overturned that decision and reinstated the quotas after petitions were filed by relatives of 1971 veterans. The high court stayed the ruling pending an appeal hearing and said in a statement that it would hear the matter on Sunday.

Hasina has urged the protesters to wait for the court’s verdict.

Saaliq reported from New Delhi, India.

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