The death toll in Bangladesh protests has risen to 39 while hundreds are injured after the protests have intensified. The issue was triggered over job quota allocations. Bangladeshi students set the state TV to fire after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina appeared on it to address the clashes started since Monday. So far, the government has failed in addressing the issue despite deputing heavy contingents of anti-riots forces.
Rights groups accused Hasina’s government of abusing the state institutions to harden its power and suppress people including through extrajudicial killings. The government ordered to close all state institutions as police intensified efforts to control the worsening law and order situation. Protester Bidisha, 18 was reported saying, “Our first demand is that the prime minister must apologies to us. Secondly, justice must be ensured for our killed brothers.” The demonstrations are taking place for allocating 30% of government jobs to the government’s loyalists, he said adding the protesters seek to abolish this system which is discriminatory and favors supporters of PM Hasina’s Awami League party. They advocate for a merit-based system instead. Despite growth in some private sector job opportunities, people prefer government jobs for stability and better pay. However, these jobs are not enough to meet demands -around 400,000 graduates compete for about 3,000 civil service jobs every year.
The quota system reserves jobs for women, disabled people, and ethnic minorities, but students protest the jobs reserved for veterans’ families. PM said “I am requesting all to patiently wait until the verdict is delivered. I believe our students will get justice from the apex court. They will not be disappointed,” she said.
This issue earlier, too cause protests in 2018, but Hasina’s government suspended the quota following large protests. The High Court overturned that decision last month and reinstated the quotas after relatives of the 1971 war filed petitions. The Supreme Court then suspended the High Court’s ruling and promised to decide on the matter by August 7. Hasina blamed the main opposition parties, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and the right-wing Jamaat-e-Islami party, for provocations. The BNP endorsed the students’ call for a shutdown. The protests intensified after rival student groups attacked each other on Tuesday.
Earlier the PM vowed those responsible for the deaths in the ongoing protests would be punished regardless of their political affiliation. This statement came after six people were killed. “I firmly declare those who carried out murders, looting and violence -whoever they are – will be given the appropriate punishment.”
The Supreme Court last week halted the High Court’s order for four weeks stating the protesting students to return to classes, and issue a decision in four weeks.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on the government to protect the demonstrators against any violence. “It is a fundamental human right to demonstrate peacefully,” he said. Meanwhile, the US State Department earlier said it was monitoring the situation and was concerned about human loss. According to the reports some of the victims died after police fired to quell the demonstration. The students staged a public funeral ceremony at Dhaka University a day before yesterday carrying coffins dressed with the red and green national flag.
The violence began after members of the student wing of Hasina’s ruling Awami League party clashed with demonstrators. The reports said all members of the governing party’s youth wing ordered the rivals to leave halls and those who refused were dragged out. While the police raided the headquarters of the opposition party and arrested several members of its student wing. The social media had been restricted in the wake of crackdown.
According to the local media, police and the governing party’s student wing attacked the protesters. In Bangladesh, 56% of government jobs are reserved for various quotas. Women have 10% and the same figure is for people from underdeveloped districts, 5% for indigenous communities and 1% for disables.This quota system reserves more than half of well-paid jobs for specific groups, including children of 1971 war. The violence started at campuses, including Jahangirnagar University in Savar, outside the capital, Dhaka, where the protesters were demanding an end to this unjust behavior with common people.
(By Rana Kashif)
