Bangladesh Deploys Army As Student Protestors Return To Streets

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Police and student activists in Bangladesh have been involved in pitched battles for nearly three weeks, with protesters returning daily to the streets despite an increasingly violent crackdown from authorities and a rapidly rising toll of killed and injured protesters.

The public has come out since Thursday in large numbers, showing solidarity with the protesting students. Many public groups were found distributing free food and water to them. On July 1, university students across Bangladesh began protesting a recent High Court decision that would restore a previously abolished quota system.

The Awami League government on Friday announced a nationwide curfew after police and security officials banned all kinds of meetings in the capital, Dhaka. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina also announced that military forces would be deployed to help the civilian administration keep order.

Also Read: Bangladesh TVs Went Off As Protestors Refuse Talks With Govt

According to the quota policy, at least 30 percent of the civil service jobs in the country are reserved specifically for children and grandchildren of “freedom fighters”—those who fought against Pakistan in Bangladesh’s 1971 Liberation War. This came as a blow to students in a country where millions remain unemployed for years after graduating from universities.

A 21-year-old student at the University of Dhaka, who asked that his name not be used for security reasons, said the protesters’ demands began with a call for “a fair system” of job allocation in the country.

“We wanted a revised quota system, as currently 56 percent of government jobs are based on reservations,” he said. “While it is understandable that the children of freedom fighters sacrificed a lot and are therefore benefited by the quota system, it is absolutely ridiculous to extend the same quota to the grandchildren of freedom fighters.”

The student, who said he was injured in a baton attack by police, told VOA, “We want equal opportunities for accessing government jobs.”

At least 19 students were killed Thursday, according to the country’s local dailies. The actual number that day may have been as high as 50, as several student activists told VOA. At least 52 people were killed in Dhaka on Friday, according to a list prepared by Dhaka Medical College and Hospital.

Also Friday, several hundred inmates escaped from the Narsingdi district prison after student protesters attacked the jail, according to BBC Bangla. On Thursday, several high school students joined the protest, which had previously been confined to university and college students.

A ninth-grade student, Tahmid Tamim, was killed by a bullet fired by a police official, the national media reported. The student protesters set fire Thursday to the headquarters of Bangladesh Television, the nation’s state broadcaster, officials confirmed.

In conclusion, hundreds of students are in hospitals in cities across the country after being injured by bullets and pellets, among other weapons.

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