West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday said her state is ready to give shelter to 'helpless people' from Bangladesh where violent protests have been taking place for the past several days against reservation in government jobs.

Addressing her party's  'Martyrs' Day' rally in Kolkata, Mamata Banerjee said: "I cannot speak on Bangladesh since it is a sovereign nation. It is the Indian government which can comment on the situation in the country. However, if someone comes and knocks on our door then we will give them shelter. There is a UN resolution which says that neighbours should respect refugees."

Violence escalated in Bangladesh's capital Dhaka and other places over protests by students, demanding reforms to the quota system for government jobs.

The protesters are demanding an end to a quota system that reserves up to 30 per cent of government jobs for relatives of veterans who fought in Bangladesh's war of Independence in 1971 against Pakistan.

The quotas have caused anger among students who face high youth unemployment rates, with nearly 32 million young Bangladeshis not in work or education out of a total population of 170 million people.