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Thousands of students are protesting across Bangladesh against a court order reinstating a 30 per cent quota to families of war veterans. The stir, which has been ongoing for weeks, has now turned violent, leading to at least five deaths and hundreds of injuries. The government has closed public and private campuses indefinitely read more
 "What’s behind Bangladesh’s violent student protests that have led to shut down of universities?")
Students clash over a quota system at Jahangir Nagar University at Savar outside Dhaka, Bangladesh on 15 Julu. Police fired tear gas and charged demonstrators with batons overnight during violent clashes between a pro-government student body and student protesters. AP
Universities across Bangladesh have erupted in protests. The demonstrations have turned violent – at least five people have died and hundreds of others have been injured, as students raise their voices against job quota.
The government has cancelled classes in public and private campuses across the country. It has also decided to close medical, textile, engineering and other colleges affiliated with the universities until further notice, according to bdnews24, Bangladesh’s leading news publisher.
We take a look at the reason behind the protests and how the situation has escalated.
Why are students protesting in Bangladesh?
The protests in Bangladesh started on 1 July, days after a decision by the Bangladesh High Court to reinstate a 30 per cent government job quota for descendants of those who fought in the country’s 1971 war of independence.
Thousands of students from government and private universities in the country are demonstrating against the quotas, fearing that they will be deprived of opportunities if 30 per cent are reserved for family members of war veterans. While protesters support reservation for other marginalised groups like women, ethnic minorities and the disabled, the demand is that the quota of kin of freedom fighters be scrapped.
“We are not against the quota system in general, but we want the 30 per cent quota for the descendants of 1971 freedom fighters to be abolished,” Nahid Islam, the coordinator of the anti-quota protests told Reuters. “Government jobs are the only hope for many young people in Bangladesh, and this quota system is depriving them of opportunities.”
Many of the protesters are also concerned about the accuracy of the list of veteran’s families, believing that some might unfairly benefit from the provision. They argue the quota is discriminatory, and should be replaced with a merit-based system. They also say it benefits supporters of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, whose Awami League party led the independence movement.
This quota system was abolished in 2018 by Hasina after widespread protests in Bangladesh. The June 5 court order, which said the abolition was illegal, has again angered the youth.
Government jobs are sought-after in the country because they pay well. More than half of the positions are reserved for certain groups.
Who is behind the protests?
The protesters claim that they are not aligned with any political group. According to a report in Al-Jazeera, the movement has come to be known as the Students Against Discrimination movement.
Thousands of students from Dhaka University in the capital and Chittagong University have joined the anti-quota stir. It has also spread to other universities in the country.
Fahim Faruki, a protester and third-year international relations student at Dhaka University, told the publication that students organised the protests through a Facebook group and were not backed by any political organisation.
How did the protests turn violent?
During a press conference on Sunday, Hasina was asked about the student protests and the quota system. She responded by saying, “If the grandchildren of freedom fighters do not receive [quota] benefits, who would get it? The grandchildren of Razakars?”
“Razakar” is a derogatory term in Bangladesh, referring to those who collaborated with the Pakistani military during the 1971 Liberation War. It is considered a betrayal of their country.
The Bangladesh PM’s comments were considered demeaning by student protesters, further angering them.
On Sunday night, thousands of students marched through the Dhaka University campus chanting the slogan, “Who are you? Who are you? I am Razakar, I am Razakar.” It is an adaptation of the famous chat during the Liberation War, “Who are we? Bengali”, according to a report in Scroll.in.
Students across Bangladesh took to the streets with mass procession in respose to PM Hasina's framing of quota reform protesters as heirs of Rajakar (Collaborators who aided Pakistan in '71)
Chant "Who are you, who am I? Rajakar, Rajakar" filling the air nationwide. #Bangladesh pic.twitter.com/M157oZ7Qqx
On Monday, clashes broke out at Dhaka University between protesters and members of the student wing of the ruling Awami League party, the Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL), leaving more than 100 students injured, police said.
Violence spread overnight to Jahangir Nagar University in Savar, outside Dhaka, and was reported elsewhere around the country on Tuesday, reports The Associated Press (AP).
At Jahangir Nagar University, demonstrators gathered in front of the vice-chancellor’s residence early Tuesday when they were attacked by BCL activists and police, say witnesses. Over 50 people were treated at a nearby hospital, with at least 30 suffering pellet wounds.
Abdullahil Kafi, a senior police official, told the country’s leading English-language newspaper, Daily Star, that protesters attacked police and that officers retaliated with tear gas and blank rounds. He said up to 15 police officers were injured. However, the protesters have accused the BCL and police of instigating the violence, reports AP.
Of the five reported deaths, one was in Dhaka and three others, including a pedestrian, in Chattogram. Media reports also said that a 22-year-old protester died in Rangpur.
On Wednesday, students will hold funerals in absentia across the country for victims of Bangladesh. They will march carrying coffins as a token protest, announced Asif Mahmud, a leader of the Student Movement Against Discrimination, reports bdnews24.
How has the government responded to the stir?
The government has deployed riot police on campuses and paramilitary troops in several districts amid rising tensions.
After Sunday’s protests, Hasina asked if the agitators, who referred to themselves as “Razakars” understood the history of Bangladesh well. “They did not witness the bodies lying in the streets, yet they feel no shame in calling themselves Razakars,” the PM said. She also asked if students were aware of the role of Pakistani collaborators in the 1971 genocide and the abuse of women during the Liberation War.
Several ministers also echoed similar views. “Those who proclaim ‘I am a Razakar’ have demonstrated themselves to be the ‘true’ Razakars of this era,” Bangladesh Education Minister Mohibul Hassan Chowdhury wrote on Facebook on Sunday. “They disregard both the court and the government.”
Last week, Bangladesh Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan requested the students not to block streets unnecessarily and go back to their respective institutes. “The students are crossing their limits,” he said at a press conference.
What has the opposition said?
The protests have taken on a political dimension. The country’s main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and its student wing have called for marches on Wednesday to protest the attacks on the anti-quota protesters.
What can we expect next?
The government has been unable to quell protests. Experts have warned that the government’s heavy-handed response and failure to address the grievances of protesters could only lead to more anger and instability in the country.
Asif Nazrul, a law professor at Dhaka University, criticised the government’s response, suggesting it was eager to suppress the protests and had found a convenient pretext, reports Al-Jazeera.
“The government needs to find a way to listen to the students’ concerns and find a fair solution to this quota issue,” Mohammad Abdur Razzaque, chairman of Research and Policy Integration for Development told Reuters. “Resorting to violence and labelling the protesters as anti-national forces is only going to exacerbate the situation and deepen the divisions in Bangladeshi society.”
With inputs from agencies
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