At least 39 people have been killed and over 2,500 have sustained injuries in Bangladesh after clashes between students, government supporters and armed police following protests against service job quotas.

The demonstrations ignited as an aftermath of the High Court’s judgment which laid down that at least 30 percent of the Government jobs to be reserved for family members of the freedom fighters involed in the country’s Freedom Struggle in 1971. 

However, in context of the recent unrest and protests among the students following the High Court’s judgment, the Supreme Court has suspended the concerned order. The matter is scheduled for hearing before the Supreme Court on August 7, 2024. 

Bangladesh Protest

It is noteworthy that following a similar protest in 2018, the Prime Minister of Bangladesh  Sheikh Hasina hadscrapped a similar quota proposal. 

The protesters are demanding the government scrap the quota system, which they claim benefits only the ruling Awami League party led by Sheikh Hasina. Prime Minister Hasina, the daughter of Bangladesh’s founding father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, has been accused of using the quota system to reward her party’s loyalists. Protestors allege the system is unfair and limits their job opportunities.

However, Prime Minister Hasina, refusing to accept any demands, has referred to the protesters as “razakar”, an offensive term used to describe those who betrayed the country by collaborating with the Pakistani army in 1971.

Crux of the quota system in Bangladesh

The quota system for reservation of government jobs in Bangladesh originated in the year 1972. Before it was abolished in 2018, the system reserved 56 per cent of government jobs for various groups, but the majority of these quotas benefited freedom fighters’ families. The demand of protesters at present is to amend the quota system to accommodate the needs of students and job seekers (who are not from any freedom fighter’s family background). 

Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina’s recent public addressal has rather degraded the protesters by comparing them to the Pakistani abusers and molesters from 1971. This reference has rather catalysed the anger and unrest among the protesters further. 

Due to the unrest, communication services in Bangladesh was massively disrupted. The protesters, comprising students, were armed with sticks and rocks, and attempted to shut down transportation services nationwide. Police cracked down on protesters, firing rubber bullets, sound grenades and tear gas to disperse them, reported Reuters.

Carfew has been now imposed in Bangladesh in the wake of these violent protests. Government Press Secretary Naeemul Islam Khan said the army would be deployed to the streets in a bid to restore order.

Reported by: Editorial Staff

Place: New Delhi

Date & Time: 20.07.2024 (10:25 PM)

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