Bangladesh quota protests updates: Students vow to continue demonstrations
By Virginia Pietromarchi Published On 21 Jul 2024
14 min read
21 Jul 2024 - 16:58
(16:58 GMT)
The news on the Supreme Court’s ruling to scale back job quotas is here. For on-the-ground reporting from Bangladesh, check this story out.
21 Jul 2024 - 16:50
(16:50 GMT)
Here’s what happened today
We will be closing this live page soon. Here is a recap of the latest developments:
Bangladesh’s top court scaled back a controversial job-quota system in a partial victory for student protesters after a week of deadly demonstrations.
Student leaders pledged to keep the protests going until all those detained are freed and the officials who ordered the deadly crackdown resign, with calls for a nationwide shutdown on Monday.
Soldiers are patrolling cities across Bangladesh with an indefinite curfew imposed and a communications blackout drastically restricting the flow of information to the outside world.
The death toll from a week of violent unrest remains unclear, with news reports suggesting more than 100 people have been killed – the vast majority of them demonstrators.
The government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina condemned opposition politicians for “creating anarchy”, with at least 70 arrests made among the Bangladesh Nationalist Party.
21 Jul 2024 - 16:35
(16:35 GMT)
Germany issues Bangladesh travel warning
Germany’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement saying “travel to Bangladesh is currently not recommended” after the spate of violence erupted last week.
It noted the death toll of more than 100 and highlighted the communications shutdown throughout the South Asian country. “Further restrictions and deterioration of the situation are to be expected,” it said.
Those in Bangladesh should “be sure to follow the current curfew and stay in a safe place”, the ministry noted, adding “Take advantage of any relaxation of the curfew to stock up on supplies for several days. Avoid demonstrations and large gatherings of people as much as possible.”
21 Jul 2024 - 16:20
(16:20 GMT)
More than 4,500 Indians return from Bangladesh after deadly unrest
India’s Ministry of External Affairs says about 4,500 of its nationals have arrived home after fleeing the violence in Bangladesh.
The ministry “has also been coordinating with relevant Indian authorities to ensure a smooth passage for our citizens at land ports and airports”, it said in a statement.
It added that 500 students from Nepal, 38 from Bhutan and one from the Maldives have also arrived in India.
“The High Commission and our Assistant High Commissions continue to be in regular touch with local authorities for the safety and security of Indian nationals,” the ministry said.
21 Jul 2024 - 16:05
(16:05 GMT)
How peaceful Bangladesh quota protests morphed into nationwide unrest
Dhaka, Bangladesh – For three days, Ahsan Habib, a private university student, was on the streets protesting what he says was a “violent assault” by police and ruling party supporters against common people such as himself.
“We were fighting against bullets with brick chunks,” said Habib, who joined protests in Dhaka’s Mohammadpur area on Tuesday.
“There were not only police but also people from the ruling [Awami League] party who were wearing helmets and were firing live bullets towards us.”
21 Jul 2024 - 15:50
(15:50 GMT)
Government accuses opposition of ‘creating anarchy’
Reporting from Dhaka, Bangladesh
The student leaders have not backed down from their protests and have actually called for a nationwide shutdown on Monday.
They will also hold funeral prayers all across the country for those killed over the past few days. There have been casualties even today.
The government has condemned opposition politicians for “creating anarchy”. At least 70 arrests have been made among the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party.
The internet remains blocked, telephones aren’t working properly, and television is heavily censored. We’ll see how things play out over the next few days and weeks.
Soldiers enforce the second day of a curfew in Dhaka on Sunday [Mohammad Ponir Hossain/Reuters]
21 Jul 2024 - 15:35
(15:35 GMT)
Deadly demonstrations ‘unprecedented’ in Bangladesh’s history
Taqbir Huda, a South Asia researcher with Amnesty International, says the situation in Bangladesh remains unclear because of the communications blackout, which could lead to the spread of misinformation.
“An internet shutdown will only make things worse,” Huda told Al Jazeera.
Judging by the “very conservative death toll” being reported, the demonstrations are some of the worst ever in the South Asian nation, he added.
“It is unprecedented in the modern history of Bangladesh for such a deadly protest to have taken place. But there’s no way to get more information,” Huda said.
He noted that family members of at least two student leaders say they were picked up by police, but it’s impossible to say what has happened to them. “They still don’t know their whereabouts. Officials deny having them in custody. This is something we’ve seen in the past as well.”
21 Jul 2024 - 15:05
(15:05 GMT)
Expatriate students flee: ‘They were in a mood to kill each other’
Hundreds of foreign students are leaving Bangladesh after deadly violence broke out last week. Officials from India and Nepal said they’re assisting with the repatriation of their citizens. Nearly 800 Indian students returned home as of Saturday.
Nepalese student Shivam Kumar Shah, 24, said the situation quickly spiralled out of control on campuses and on the streets.
“They were in a mood to kill each other. That’s scary,” he said at the airport in Kathmandu, Nepal after returning from unrest at his university in Dhaka. “A place to acquire knowledge and wisdom has turned into a battlefield. This is unfortunate.”
Students protest in Dhaka last week before the imposition of a curfew [Munir Uz Zaman/AFP]
21 Jul 2024 - 14:50
(14:50 GMT)
‘It’s war now’: How Bangladesh’s deadly demonstrations began
The protests began weeks ago, but violence rose at the start of last week after student protesters were attacked by activists of the Bangladesh Chhatra League, the student wing of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League party.
Tensions quickly exploded into deadly violence. Thousands of students clashed with armed police in the capital Dhaka.
Several official websites in Bangladesh appeared to have been hacked. One message on the Prime Minister’s Office site read “Stop Killing Students”. And then in blood-red capital letters: “It’s not a protest anymore. It’s a war now.”
21 Jul 2024 - 14:35
(14:35 GMT)
‘Reckless’ communications blackout condemned: Amnesty International
A telecommunications blackout has cut the country of 170 million people off from the rest of the world.
Rights group Amnesty International has denounced the communications shutdown.
“It is reckless to impede access to information during what has been a week of escalating violence and heavy-handed crackdown on student led protests across the country,” Amnesty said in a statement.
“Blanket shutdowns impact people’s safety, security, mobility, [and] livelihood while creating instability and panic, further undermining their trust in authorities. The ban must be urgently lifted, and all the people detained or arrested solely for exercising their right to protest peacefully should be immediately and unconditionally released.”
A soldier interrogates a man who came outside during a curfew [Mohammad Ponir Hossain/Reuters]
21 Jul 2024 - 14:20
(14:20 GMT)
Bangladesh blackout continues after court ruling
The situation in Bangladesh remains unclear, with a curfew imposed and telecommunications severed.
Local media reported scattered clashes earlier in the day between protesters and security forces.
Overseas telephone calls mostly failed to connect while the websites of Bangladesh-based media organisations did not update and their social media accounts remained inactive.
Student leaders said they’ll continue demonstrations until key demands are met after the Supreme Court ruled in their favour against a controversial job-quota system.
21 Jul 2024 - 14:05
(14:05 GMT)
‘Government’s actions have made the situation worse’
After the intensifying crackdown by security forces and amid the rising death toll, it remains to be seen whether the top court’s verdict on job quotas will mollify white-hot public anger.
What began as a protest against politicised admission quotas for sought-after government jobs snowballed last week into some of the worst unrest of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s tenure.
CIVICUS, a non-profit group that tracks civic freedoms around the world, last year downgraded Bangladesh to “closed” – the worst rating it could assign – along with China and Venezuela, following a crackdown on the country’s opposition members and supporters ahead of its national election in January.
“Rather than try to address the protesters’ grievances, the government’s actions have made the situation worse,” Crisis Group’s Asia Director Pierre Prakash said.
21 Jul 2024 - 13:50
(13:50 GMT)
How many people have been detained during demonstrations?
Many opposition party leaders, activists and student protesters have been arrested in the current crackdown, says Tarique Rahman, the exiled acting chairman of the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party.
Police arrested Nahid Islam, a leading student coordinator, on Saturday, protesters say. But the exact number of those held remains unclear. Demonstrators vowed to continue their protests until their colleagues are freed.
The protests turned deadly last Tuesday, a day after students at Dhaka University began clashing with police. Violence continued to escalate as police fired live rounds and tear gas and hurled smoke grenades to scatter stone-throwing protesters.
21 Jul 2024 - 13:35
(13:35 GMT)
‘Lots of concern’ over missing and detained demonstrators
The situation remains “tense and volatile” as police have cracked down on protesters in different areas of the capital and other parts of Bangladesh, reports Al Jazeera’s Tanvir Chowdhury from Dhaka.
“The government has been blaming the political opposition squarely for the damage and destruction of public property, accusing it of creating anarchy in the country,” said Chowdhury.
There have been at least 70 arrests among the main opposition party, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, he said, adding that the whereabouts of a student leader and a senior member of the opposition party are unknown after they were seized by police.
Authorities have denied that, however.
“This is a serious concern because Bangladesh has a record for extrajudicial killings and police picking up people without leaving traces,” said Chowdhury. “So there are lots of concerns within the community.”
21 Jul 2024 - 13:20
(13:20 GMT)
‘It’s not about the rights of the students anymore’
The students leading the demonstrations against Bangladesh’s government are pressing for the release of those detained. Police, meanwhile, say they aren’t responsible for the disappearance of some protesters.
Business owner Hasibul Sheikh, 24, said the demonstrations are now more than just against the job quota system that was rolled back by the Supreme Court on Sunday.
“It’s not about the rights of the students anymore. Our demand is one point now, and that’s the resignation of the government,” he said.
The government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been accused in the past of extrajudicial killings of opposition activists.
21 Jul 2024 - 12:55
(12:55 GMT)
If you’re just joining us
Here’s a look at the latest developments:
Bangladesh’s top court scaled back job quotas for veterans of the 1971 war of independence to 5 percent, with 93 percent of jobs to be allocated on merit. The remaining 2 percent will be set aside for members of ethnic minorities and transgender and disabled people.
Student leaders pledged to press on with demonstrations until key demands are met including the release of those jailed, and the resignation of officials responsible for the deadly crackdown.
Bangladesh continues to enforce a nationwide curfew to quash the student-led demonstrations with military personnel and police patrolling the largely deserted streets of the capital, Dhaka.
Attorney-General AM Amin Uddin vowed to punish those who instigated violence during the protests “and take strict action against them”.
Bangladeshi authorities haven’t disclosed any official numbers of those killed and injured, but at least four local newspapers reported that more than 100 people have died.
21 Jul 2024 - 12:40
(12:40 GMT)
Sky-high unemployment fuelling unrest
The demonstrations – the biggest since Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was re-elected for a fourth successive term this year – have been driven by high unemployment among young people, who make up nearly one-fifth of the population.
About 18 million young people in Bangladesh are out of work.
High living costs sparked deadly protests in Bangladesh last year, months after it turned to the International Monetary Fund for a $4.7bn bailout as it struggled to pay for imported oil and gas because of dwindling dollar reserves.
Demonstrators beat a policeman in Dhaka last week [Anik Rahman/AP]
21 Jul 2024 - 12:20
(12:20 GMT)
Curfew continues as death toll mounts
Bangladesh continues to enforce a nationwide curfew to quash student-led demonstrations with military personnel and police patrolling the largely deserted streets of the capital, Dhaka.
Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan says the curfew will continue “until the situation improves”.
Dozens of people have been killed and several thousand injured. A nationwide internet blackout has drastically restricted the flow of information to the outside world.
Soldiers set up checkpoints on Saturday shortly after the government ordered a curfew to block the protests that sharply escalated last week.
Read the full story here.
A soldier checks visas of Bangladeshi nationals entering from a border post in Petrapole, India, on Sunday [Bikas Das/AP]
21 Jul 2024 - 12:05
(12:05 GMT)
WATCH: Anti-quota protests rock Bangladesh
Dozens of people were killed in demonstrations calling for an end to the quota system, which favours the children of fighters in the 1971 war of independence from Pakistan.
Students are also demanding justice for those killed in three weeks of protests.
21 Jul 2024 - 11:50
(11:50 GMT)
Authorities vow to punish ‘culprits’ responsible for violence
Bangladeshi students have told Attorney General AM Amin Uddin they did not instigate deadly violence over the past week.
“I am hoping normalcy will return after today’s [court] ruling and people with ulterior motives will stop instigating people,” Amin Uddin said. “I will ask the government to find out the culprits behind the violence and take strict action against them.”
He added: “Students have clearly said they are in no way part of the violence and arson that have taken place in Bangladesh since Monday.”
Vehicles burn after protesters set them on fire near the Disaster Management Directorate office in Dhaka [File: AFP]
21 Jul 2024 - 11:35
(11:35 GMT)
UAE arrests Bangladeshis protesting against home government
Authorities in the United Arab Emirates have ordered an investigation and an expedited trial of Bangladeshi nationals arrested after protesting against their home government across the Gulf country.
The UAE’s attorney general’s office indicted Bangladeshi demonstrators on several charges, including “gathering in a public place and protesting against their home government with the intent to incite unrest”.
An unknown number of protesters were also charged with obstructing law enforcement, causing harm to others, and damaging property, according to the state-owned Emirates News Agency, WAM.
“Based on the preliminary investigation results, the Public Prosecution has ordered their pretrial detention pending further investigations,” WAM reported.
21 Jul 2024 - 11:20
(11:20 GMT)
How many people have been killed in the protests?
Bangladeshi authorities haven’t shared any official numbers of casualties, but at least four local newspapers reported more than 100 people have died.
Hasnat Abdullah, a leader from the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement that’s spearheading the protests, said many people have been killed, “so the state should take responsibility”.
Soldiers patrolled the streets of Dhaka, which are quiet after the Supreme Court scrapped most of the quotas on government jobs.
21 Jul 2024 - 11:05
(11:05 GMT)
Home minister blames political rivals for deadly violence
Police have arrested several members of the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and Students Against Discrimination, the main protest organising group.
Bangladesh Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan told AFP the curfew imposed on Saturday will continue “until the situation improves”.
He said in addition to the torching of government buildings and police posts by protesters, arson attacks left Dhaka’s metro rail network inoperable.
“They are carrying out destructive activities targeting the government,” Khan said, blaming the BNP and the Jamaat-e-Islami party for stoking the violence.
Bangladesh’s Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan, left, with his counterpart from Myanmar [AFP]
21 Jul 2024 - 10:50
(10:50 GMT)
Judicial inquiry into deadly violence under way: Lawmaker
Selim Altaf George, a Bangladeshi parliamentarian with the governing Awami League party, says “miscreants and other political parties” joined the student-led protests and were responsible for the violent “chaos” that killed more than 100 people and wounded thousands.
“They are doing all this vandalism and terrorism,” said Altaf George.
He told Al Jazeera the government of Bangladesh is not defending security forces who opened fire with live ammunition at demonstrators, adding there will be a judicial inquiry and a report will be issued within 30 days.
“For us now, the most important thing is to secure the country and keep the people secure,” said Altaf George.
21 Jul 2024 - 10:45
(10:45 GMT)
Two key demands: Free jailed protesters and officials resign
Student leaders say they will not back down from protesting.
“They have said they will keep demonstrating until key demands are met,” said Al Jazeera’s Tanvir Chowdhury, reporting from Dhaka.
These include freeing all opposition leaders and students – including a top leader reportedly abducted by the police – who have been arrested over the past weeks, Chowdhury said.
The students are also demanding that Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan and Awami League secretary-general Obaidul Quader resign as they are seen as responsible for instigating the brutal crackdown against the protesters, he said.
21 Jul 2024 - 10:35
(10:35 GMT)
Students Against Discrimination on court ruling
A representative of Students Against Discrimination, the main group responsible for organising the protests, has welcomed the Supreme Court’s decision.
“But we won’t call off our protests until the government issues an order reflecting our demands,” he told AFP on condition of anonymity.
21 Jul 2024 - 10:25
(10:25 GMT)
Army deployed throughout Dhaka
A witness has told Reuters that army teams were deployed throughout the capital, Dhaka, and that streets near the Supreme Court were quiet immediately after the decision.
A military tank was stationed outside the Supreme Court gate, television footage showed, while soldiers were patrolling the streets.
Local media had reported scattered clashes earlier in the day between protesters and security forces.
Internet and text message services in Bangladesh have been suspended since Thursday, cutting the nation off as police cracked down on protesters who defied a ban on public gatherings.
21 Jul 2024 - 10:10
(10:10 GMT)
Muted reaction to court ruling with stay-at-home order in place
It’s not immediately clear how the protesters will react to the decision. Before the Supreme Court hearing, soldiers patrolled cities across the country.
Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan said a stay-at-home order will be relaxed from 3pm (09:00 GMT) to 5pm (11:00 GMT) for people to run essential errands. The government declared Sunday and Monday as public holidays with only emergency services allowed to operate.
The main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has backed the protests, promising to organise demonstrations as many of its supporters have joined the students. However, the BNP said in a statement its followers were not responsible for the violence and denied the governing party’s accusations of using the protests for political gain.
Bangladeshi soldiers stand guard on a street in Dhaka [Rajib Dhar/AP]
21 Jul 2024 - 09:55
(09:55 GMT)
Who are the protesters?
The demonstrations are notable not only for their size and intensity, but also their demographics.
“It’s not just a case of grassroots demonstrations led by the poor. These are university students, most of whom are above working class,” Michael Kugelman, director of the South Asia Institute at the Wilson Center, told Al Jazeera.
“The fact that you have so many students who are so angry speaks to the desperation of finding jobs. They may not be desperately poor, but they still need to find good, stable jobs.”
Vina Nadjibulla, vice president of research and strategy at the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada, said the South Asian country faces an “acute job crisis for university graduates”.
“The 30 percent quota will hit that group,” Nadjibulla told Al Jazeera, referring to the jobs reserved for descendants of “freedom fighters”.
Students and job seekers protest against quotas for government jobs at Shahbagh Square in Dhaka [File: Mohammad Ponir Hossain/Reuters]
21 Jul 2024 - 09:45
(09:45 GMT)
‘Wait and see mode’ after Supreme Court ruling
Reporting from Dhaka, Bangladesh
We haven’t seen any crowds in the streets. There are few people.
The student line was that the verdict was satisfactory, but they said it failed to mention the detained students and those who died in recent clashes. So there is still a lot of apprehension on how people will react and many are anxiously waiting to see if something will happen.
We have yet to see a full reaction because of the curfew and the internet shutdown. It has been hard to get full news.
21 Jul 2024 - 09:35
(09:35 GMT)
Bangladesh student protests over jobs escalate, telecoms disrupted
A nationwide curfew that was supposed to end on Sunday in Bangladesh has been extended “indefinitely”. Telecommunications have also been suspended – effectively isolating the country.
Those measures are in place to deter protests against the government’s jobs quota system which saw violent police crackdowns. At least 114 people have been killed and thousands injured.
21 Jul 2024 - 09:25
(09:25 GMT)
What has the court ruled?
Students have been demanding an end to a quota that reserved 30 percent of government jobs for relatives of veterans who fought in Bangladesh’s war of independence in 1971.
The Supreme Court has now ordered that the veterans’ quota be cut to 5 percent, with 93 percent of jobs to be allocated on merit.
The remaining 2 percent will be set aside for members of ethnic minorities and transgender and disabled people
21 Jul 2024 - 09:20
(09:20 GMT)
What is the quota system and why is it causing outrage?
Bangladesh’s quota system was introduced in 1972 by the country’s first leader, Sheikh Mujibur Rehman.
It ensured the reservation of a percentage of government jobs for children and grandchildren of people who fought in the 1971 war of independence from Pakistan, as well as other identified groups. All told, about 56 percent of the highly sought jobs were reserved for specific groups, with the other 44 percent considered “merit” based.
In 2018, the quotas were deemed illegal and abolished. But that was overturned on June 5, with the country’s High Court reinstating a quota that reserved 30 percent of government jobs for children of “freedom fighters”. The Supreme Court is set to hear an appeal to the change on August 7.
The current unrest has been fuelled by the high rate of unemployment, with nearly a fifth of Bangladesh’s population out of work. Protesters have demanded a merit-based system that is fair to all.
Copyright © 2021-2026 www.manob.net | All Rights Reserved.