BANGLADESH IN CHAOS: ‘Students Quota Reform Protest vs Systemic Racism’ Protest Turn Violent, 97 People Dead and Counting

At least 97 people have died, and the number is still rising, including 14 policemen who were killed as fresh violence broke out in Bangladesh and hundreds were injured PTI reported a local newspaper, Prothom Alo. The MEA released emergency phone numbers: +8801958383679 +8801958383680 +8801937400591

Immediately after the announcement of sitting in under a non-cooperation movement declared by students, protests turned violent against pro-Awami League Party Act supporters responsible towards ruling party activists including Chhatra League and Jubo League. Protesters are calling for Hasina to step down after earlier protests in July - which began with students demanding an end to a quota system for government jobs - descended into violence, leaving more than 200 dead.

Ms Hasina called a National Committee on Security Affairs meeting at Ganabhaban. Referring to the suspected Naxalites, she said: "I request all my people that terrorists need a serious treatment of suppression. The army, navy, air force chiefs, and other relevant security agencies were in attendance at the meeting.
Two people died in Bogra and Magura where a Chhatra Dal leader was among the dead, according to local media reports that said four Awami League supporters were killed and more than 100 injured in Rangpur.

Protesters from the Anti-Discrimination Students Movement, named because of their fight against discrimination in admissions procedures to public universities where a fixed number of places are reserved for students on merit and others based on gender or other factors, also shouted slogans demanding Ms. Hasina step down and justice for those who died in recent violence sparked by protests over quota reform.

Protests began last month when the High Court ordered that the 30% employment quota for the descendants of freedom fighters be extended to fresh graduates, prompting student action to demand the abolition of the quota because there are no vacancies available. Distaste of the students’ demands and the delay of the prime minister to meet them coupled with the use of derogatory terms calling quota opponents ‘Razakars’, the collaborators of the Pakistan army during the 1971 Bangladeshi liberation war exacerbated the situation. 

Then, the protests started in many cities of the country, but the authorities did not take the students’ complaints and the high level of youth unemployment in the country into consideration; there are more than 32 million youths out of the total population of 170 million who have no job, or they are not in school.

Author: Aarya Kadam
News Writer