Maldivians residing in Bangladesh and traveling to the country have been urged to exercise caution, over the violently escalating situation surrounding the ongoing protests by Bangladeshi students, over the allocation of civil service jobs in the country.

In a press release on Thursday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has urged caution from the Maldivians residing in and traveling to Bangladesh, over the ongoing unrest that has taken a violent turn, with dozens killed in the wake of the heated protests.

As such, Maldivians residing in Bangladesh have been urged not to go outdoors at this critical time, as directed by the government of Bangladesh and to carefully follow instructions provided by the Bangladeshi government and the High Commission of Maldives in the country.

The foreign ministry noted that efforts are presently underway to ensure the safety and security of Maldivian students and Maldivians residing in Bangladesh.

Maldivians who require any assistance with anything have been urged to reach out to the high commission.

Bangladesh students have been staging protests against civil service hiring processes.

Over the past 24 hours, things have heated up with protestors clashing with police as well as pro-government activists after days of intense protests.

International media reports that buildings have been torched, telecommunications have been disrupted and dozens have been killed.

The Bangladeshi government has since shut down high schools, Islamic educations institutions as well as vocational education institutions until further notice.