The normally bustling streets of Dhaka and five other Bangladeshi cities were almost deserted today after the Government imposed an indefinite curfew to quell rioting by students demanding an end to emergency rule.

Foot soldiers and troop carriers with mounted guns patrolled the streets, forcing millions of people to stay at home, after the first real challenge to the interim Government’s authority since it took power in January.

The army-backed administration imposed the curfew yesterday evening after three days of clashes between security forces and students calling for the restoration of democracy.

“This is a temporary measure. The curfew will be lifted as soon as the situation improves,” Fakhruddin Ahmed, the head of the interim Government, said in a brief televised speech late last night.

Mr Ahmed assumed power after the President, backed by the military, cancelled an election in January and declared a state of emergency after months of clashes between the country’s two main political parties. He has promised to hold elections at the end of next year, but analysts say that a growing number of Bangladeshis appear to want them earlier — and the curfew risks alienating many more.

Security forces cleared cars from the streets and stopped anyone out walking or travelling in tricycle rickshaws. Mobile-phone services were shut down temporarily and hundreds of people were stranded overnight at the airport in Dhaka.

The curfew was lifted from 4pm to 7pm local time today, but most people stayed at home and businesses remained closed.

The unrest began on Monday when students from the University of Dhaka demanded the removal of an army post from their campus, sparking violent clashes that left more than 300 people injured and at least one person dead.

The soldiers withdrew on Tuesday, but the protests continued, spilling on to the streets of Dhaka yesterday and attracting slum-dwellers and shopkeepers as well as students.

Until this week, the interim Government appeared to enjoy the support of most Bangladeshis — as well as the international community — despite widespread reports of human-rights abuses by its security forces. The hope was that the Government would bring an end to the violent squabbling between Sheikh Hasina and Khaleda Zia — the two “begums” who have dominated Bangladeshi politics since 1991.

Some analysts and Western diplomats see the protests as the first clear indication that time is running out for the interim government. “Regrettably, the incumbents decided to take the path of repression,” the English-language New Age daily wrote in an editorial today. “The public discontent will simmer on and will find manifestation in different forms and style, sooner than later.”

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