Hundreds of protesters demanding reforms to the quota system for government jobs overwhelmed riot police, chasing them to BTV’s headquarters in Dhaka. The protesters set ablaze the channel’s reception building and several parked vehicles. Though several people were trapped inside the office, they were safely evacuated.
On Thursday, 25 more people died in the clashes, AFP reported. University students in Dhaka and other cities have been holding rallies for over a week, protesting the reservation system in public sector jobs, including positions reserved for relatives of war heroes who fought for Bangladesh’s independence from Pakistan in 1971.
The police have been using rubber bullets, tear gas, and noise grenades to disperse the protesters but to no avail. The violence led to the shutdown of metro stations in the capital, and the government ordered an internet shutdown. Outage monitor Netblocks reported a “near-total internet shutdown” in Bangladesh.
To maintain law and order, the government has deployed Border Guard Bangladesh personnel across the country, including the capital. The Sheikh Hasina government has also ordered schools and universities to shut indefinitely. On Wednesday, PM Hasina appeared on the broadcaster and condemned the “murder” of protesters, vowing to punish those responsible regardless of their political affiliation. However, the violence worsened the next day.
The students demand an end to the quota system that reserves more than half of government jobs for specific groups, including children of veterans from the country’s 1971 liberation war against Pakistan. The scheme also benefits children of pro-government groups that support Hasina, AFP reported. Meanwhile, human rights groups have accused the Hasina government of suppressing dissent.
Bangladesh’s junior minister Zunaid Ahmed Palak justified the internet ban, saying social media had been “weaponized as a tool to spread rumors, lies, and disinformation”. Law minister Anisul Huq announced on Thursday that the government has decided to hold a dialogue with protesting students. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has entrusted him and education minister Mohibul Hassan Chowdhury with leading the discussion.
A spokesman for the protesters later stated that they no longer seek dialogue with the government. “Instead, we demand the immediate issuance of a gazette notification canceling quotas in government jobs,” they said.
Comments