DOZENS DEAD AS BANGLADESH STUDENT PROTESTS OVER JOB QUOTAS INTENSIFY

Fri 19 July 2024:

Thousands of students wielding sticks and rocks clashed with armed police in Dhaka, as Bangladesh authorities shut down some mobile internet services to curb protests against civil service hiring quotas.

At least 32 people were reported dead during the protests on Thursday across Bangladesh, with authorities blocking mobile services nationwide. In Dhaka, 11 people, including a bus driver and a student, were killed in clashes with police, and hundreds were injured. In Narayanganj, two more deaths occurred, and Chittagong reported two fatalities.

Authorities did not immediately confirm figures for the deaths.

Witnesses said police used tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse protesters who torched vehicles and police posts in Dhaka. Zunaid Ahmed Palak, junior information technology minister, confirmed the suspension of mobile internet to counter rumors and social media instability.

The internet service is expected to resume once the situation stabilizes. Bangladeshi news websites, including The Daily Star and Dhaka Tribune, also went offline, following the earlier restriction of Facebook access.

Protests intensified near BRAC University in Dhaka, and in Chittagong, where students blocked a major highway. Al Jazeera’s Tanvir Chowdhury reported widespread unrest and a volatile situation in the capital and beyond.

The demonstrations, supported by the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), arose from anger over a government job quota system favoring Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League supporters. Students, frustrated by high youth unemployment, demand a merit-based system.

Almost every day this month, people on marches have demanded an end to the quota system that reserves more than half of civil service posts for specific groups, including children of veterans from the 1971 liberation war against Pakistan.

Critics say the scheme benefits children of pro-government groups that back Hasina, who has ruled the country since 2009. She won her fourth consecutive election in January after a vote without genuine opposition. Her administration is accused by rights groups of capturing state institutions and stamping out dissent, including by the extrajudicial killing of opposition activists.

Violence escalated from clashes at Dhaka University, prompting the government to shut down universities and deploy riot police and paramilitary forces. Six deaths on Tuesday further fueled the unrest.

Protesters attacked the state-run Bangladesh Television headquarters, setting parts of the building on fire. This is the first major challenge to Hasina’s government since her January re-election.

In response, Hasina promised a judicial investigation into the deaths and urged patience until a Supreme Court verdict on the quotas. Despite the plea, students remain unconvinced. Law Minister Anisul Huq expressed the government’s willingness to engage in dialogue with protesters.

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The US and Indian embassies in Dhaka advised their citizens to avoid demonstrations, and human rights organizations called on Bangladesh to ensure the safety of peaceful protesters.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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