Protestors in Bangladesh have set fire to the state broadcaster headquarters following violent clashes between students and police.

BTV posted on their official Facebook page that many people were trapped in the building in Dhaka, appealing for assistance from the fire service to put the fire out.

Bangladesh's information minister told BBC that the fire has been brought under control and majority of the employees evacuated from the headquarters.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had appeared on the network the night before, appealing for calm after days of violent protests which have left at least 10 people dead and hundreds more injured.

Students have been holding rallies demanding change to a system which reserves a third of public sector jobs for the relatives of war heroes, who fought for the country’s independence from Pakistan in 1971.

The students are arguing that the system is discriminatory, asking for recruitment based on merit.

The government has been trying to quell the protests, on Thursday switching off the country's mobile internet in an attempt to slow the students.

Instead, it became the deadliest day so far, AFP reported.