Bangladesh’s leader has been accused of crying “crocodile tears” after she was photographed crying at a railway station that was destroyed during anti-government protests.

At least 150 people were killed in nationwide clashes between police and university students. The security forces are accused of using excessive force.

The demonstrators had demanded the abolition of quotas for public jobs.

Many people on the Internet accused Ms Hasina of not showing the same compassion to the dead and their families.

The pictures were taken during Hasina’s visit to a metro station in the city of Mirpur on Thursday, where ticket machines and the signalling centre were vandalised. Ms Hasina is pictured frowning and wiping away tears with tissue paper.

“What kind of mentality makes them destroy facilities that make people’s lives easier? Dhaka was in a traffic jam. The metro provided relief. I cannot accept the destruction of this transport facility built with modern technology,” Bangladeshi daily The Business Standard quoted the prime minister as saying.

These comments aroused the anger of Bangladeshi internet users.

“We lost (hundreds of) students. But Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had time to ‘cry’ for a metro, not for the people who will never return,” said one Twitter user.

“Shedding crocodile tears for a railway line while others (died)…” another chimed in.

Journalist Zulkarnian Saer, who has spoken out against the government in the past, said: “Hasina had time to visit the devastated railway station, but she did not visit (the families of) the students … who were shot dead (in the protests).”

Some described the photos as an attempt to divert attention from the deaths during the protests.

“No doubt she went there to… get some attention and empathy,” said one Facebook user.

Security forces were accused of using excessive force in quelling the unrest, but Ms Hasina instead blamed her political opponents for the wave of violence.

Her government is working to “suppress these militants and create a better environment,” the 76-year-old said earlier this week, adding that she was “forced” to impose a curfew for public safety reasons.

The protests, which were mainly attended by university students, began about two weeks ago against the quotas introduced for public sector jobs.

Bangladesh had previously reserved about 30 percent of its well-paying government jobs for relatives of those who fought in the country’s 1971 war of independence against Pakistan.

On Sunday, Bangladesh’s Supreme Court lifted most of these quotas and ruled that 93 percent of jobs should be filled based on merit, meeting a key demand of the protesters.

The wave of unrest is an unprecedented test for Ms Hasina, who secured her fourth consecutive term as prime minister in January in a disputed election boycotted by the country’s main opposition parties.

Political analysts told the BBC that Ms Hasina’s authoritarian regime and the “over-politicisation” of Bangladesh’s 1971 war of independence from Pakistan had angered large sections of society.

Limited internet connectivity was restored on Tuesday following a nationwide blackout that began last Thursday.

Some student leaders have vowed to continue protests to demand justice for the protesters killed and arrested in recent days, as well as the resignation of government ministers and an apology from Ms Hasina.