Bangladesh violence: Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday announced a judicial inquiry committee to look into recent student protests and promised action after six anti-quota protesters were killed in violent clashes. This came as student protesters demanding reforms in the quota system for government jobs announced a complete nationwide shutdown on Thursday.
Authorities in Bangladesh urged all universities to close on Wednesday as police fired tear gas and rubber bullets amid violent clashes with protesters that left six dead and scores of people injured. Asif Mahmud, a key coordinator of the movement, said all establishments, barring hospitals and emergency services, will remain closed, and only ambulance services will be permitted to operate.
In an address to the nation on Wednesday, Hasina said she “deeply regretted” the casualties in the violence over student protests and said that a judicial inquiry committee will be formed. She also called on demonstrators to keep faith in the country’s Supreme Court as the issue is pending there. “I believe our students will get justice (in the apex court). They will not be disappointed,” she said.
“I will do whatever support is necessary for the families of those who have been killed in the violence… I declare unequivocally that action will be taken to ensure that those who have committed murder, looting and terrorist activities, whoever they may be, receive appropriate punishment,” she further said, while highlighting “some vested quarters” for the violence.
What is the quota system, the centre of protests in Bangladesh?
The protesters are angry over public sector job quotas, including a 30 per cent quota for family members of freedom fighters from the 1971 War of Independence, amid high youth unemployment. In Bangladesh, 56 per cent of government jobs are reserved for various quotas. Ten per cent are reserved for women, 10 per cent for people from underdeveloped districts, 5 per cent for indigenous communities and 1 per cent for people with disabilities. There are only 44 per cent of all openings available.
The quota for freedom fighters has been particularly controversial as many consider it beneficial for those loyal to Hasina’s Awami League party that spearheaded the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971. Nearly 32 million young Bangladeshis are unemployed or without education out of a total population of 170 million people.
Protests began earlier this month when the High Court ordered the government to reinstate the 30% job quota. The Supreme Court suspended the order last week for a month but protests continued. To make matters worse, Hasina refused meet the students’ demands and used the term ‘razakar’ (volunteers) – a term used for those who allegedly collaborated with the Pakistani army during the 1971 war that perpetrated some of the worst atrocities during the war.
Protests intensify across Bangladesh
Thousands of anti-quota protesters clashed with members of the student wing of the ruling Awami League party across the country. Six people, including at least four students, were killed during clashes on Tuesday, police said. A second-year student of northwestern Rangpur University was the first casualty on Tuesday when he was shot dead by police during a protest on the university campus.
The violence prompted the government to close all public and private universities alongside schools and colleges across Bangladesh for an indefinite period on late Tuesday asking residential students to leave dormitories. Violence continued on Wednesday when scores of protesters were wounded in clashes with alleged Awami League’s student activists and police.
Witnesses said police used rubber bullets, tear gas and sound grenades on the campuses of premier Dhaka University, Jahangirnagar University on the outskirts of the capital and northwestern Rajshahi University. Despite the PM’s call, protesters vowed to carry on their protests against the “killings, beatings of protesters and others” by police, paramilitary Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and other law enforcement personnel.
US weighs in on Bangladesh violence
Meanwhile, the United States condemned the violence and called on Bangladesh to uphold the right to peaceful protest amid demonstrations, while saying it was watching the matter closely. “We condemn any violence against peaceful protesters. We’ve been watching this matter very closely, both from our embassy and officials here in Washington. (We) have been monitoring the protests, have seen the reports of people dying, being killed in the protests. And we again, call on the government to uphold individual’s rights to protest peacefully,” said US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller on Wednesday.
UN Human Rights chief Volker Turk on Wednesday urged Bangladesh authorities to engage with protesting students adding “all acts of violence and use of force, especially resulting in loss of life, must be investigated and perpetrators held to account”. He said freedom of expression and peaceful assembly are fundamental human rights.
The protests are the first significant challenge to Hasina’s government since she secured a fourth consecutive term in January in an election boycotted by the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). Experts attribute the unrest to stagnant job growth in the private sector, making government jobs, which offer regular wage hikes and other privileges.
(with inputs from agencies)
