UNITED NATIONS, July 19 (IPS) – Student protests against the Bangladesh government’s recruitment system have escalated into violent reprisals by police and the student wing of the main party.
Violent clashes continued today (Friday, July 19) in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, and in the northern city of Rangpuras, where university students continued their protests against the government’s recruitment system for civil servants. AFP reports reports that the death toll has risen to 105.
The quota system now reserves 56 percent of civil service positions for certain groups: 10 percent for women, 10 percent for people from underdeveloped districts, 5 percent for indigenous peoples, 1 percent for people with disabilities and 30 percent for those who fought in the 1971 war of independence, together with their descendants.
In June, Bangladesh’s Supreme Court ruled that the measure of reserving jobs for independence fighters, which had been abolished by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in 2018, should be reinstated.
Students and young workers worried that this system did not reward merit, but instead favored those affiliated with the Awami League, the ruling party.
Since then, students have been demanding a reform of the quota system, at a time when the unemployment rate is 40 percent for young people who neither work nor study.
On July 14, Hasina suggested that the protesters were “razakars”, a controversial term in Bangladesh as it refers to those who supported Pakistan during the 1971 war, traitors in the eyes of the Bangladeshi people. Hasina’s remarks sparked outrage among students, who criticized them during the protests.
The escalation in violence began on July 15, when protesters were attacked by members of the Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL), the student wing of the Awami League. Reports emerged of heavily armed BCL members indiscriminately attacking unarmed protesters, including women and junior students.
The government therefore called for all university campuses to be closed due to the tensions. Police were deployed to suppress the movement, using rubber bullets and tear gas against students.
Protests and resulting violent clashes have broken out across the country, including in Chittagong, Rangpur and Dhaka.
On Thursday, the government deployed the army, namely the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB). Since then, at least 105 people have been reported dead and more than 25,000 injured during the protests. The number could be much higher.
Since July 18, internet and telephone connections have been cut off, first in some areas and now throughout the country.
The internet shutdown has also caused the websites of some major news organizations, such as the Daily Star and Bangladesh, to go offline. Just before the shutdown, the official website of the BCL hacked with a message that reads: “Hacked by THE R3SISTANC3.”
There are also reports that the official websites of the police and the prime minister’s office have also been hacked with messages such as: “Stop killing students” and “It’s not a protest anymore, it’s a war now.”
Amid the protests, the government announced announced on Thursday that it is prepared to sit down with the protesters to discuss their demands for reform of the quota system.
Law Minister Anisul Haq said talks would be held once the student protesters agreed. Student protesters have so far refused this call to action, with one student narrate The BBC said on Thursday: “The government has killed so many people in one day that we cannot participate in discussions under the current circumstances.”
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk expressed his concern about the violation of human rights and has called for an impartial investigation into the attacks.
“The government must take necessary measures to ensure the protection and safety of students participating in peaceful protests, and to guarantee the right to freedom of assembly and expression without fear of attacks on their lives and physical integrity, or other forms of repression,” he said. “Bangladesh’s political leaders must work together with the country’s young people to find solutions to the ongoing challenges and focus on the country’s growth and development. Dialogue is the best and only way forward.”
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed deep concern over the violence and called for “restraint on all sides.”
In a statement issued on Thursday, he called on authorities to “investigate all violent acts, hold perpetrators accountable and create an environment conducive to dialogue.”
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© Inter Press Service (2024) — All rights reservedOriginal source: Inter Press Service
