In Bangladesh, clashes between quota reformists and police, as well as the ruling party Awami League’s affiliated student wing Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL), have erupted across the country, resulting in at least six deaths and numerous injuries over the past two days. Three fatalities occurred in Chattogram, two in Dhaka, and one in Rangpur district.
Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) personnel have been deployed in Dhaka, Gazipur, Chattogram, Bogura, Rangpur, and Rajshahi to maintain law and order amidst the ongoing quota reform movement nationwide.
The University Grants Commission of Bangladesh announced on Tuesday night that all public and private universities, affiliated medical colleges, and other institutions will remain closed until further notice to ensure the safety of students. Additionally, the Ministry of Education has ordered the closure of all secondary, higher secondary, and polytechnic institutes until further notice.
Traffic in Dhaka came to a standstill on Tuesday morning as students demanding quota reform blocked key intersections in the capital. Similar roadblocks were reported in Chattogram, Rangpur, Rajshahi, and other cities nationwide, including blockades on highways and rail lines, disrupting train services, including at Dhaka’s Mohakhali station.
Allegedly, the ruling Awami League’s student wing, Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL), attacked protesting students at Dhaka University on Sunday night, sparking widespread protests across the country in support of quota reforms and condemning the BCL’s actions.
Thousands of students from various parts of Bangladesh have staged demonstrations and blockades in several districts, protesting against the BCL’s attacks on quota reformists and demanding reforms in the quota system.
Bangladesh’s Law Minister, Anisul Huq, stated on Tuesday that the government would not take any steps regarding the quota reform issue without adhering to the directives of the High Court. Meanwhile, the protesting students continue to demand government action to reform the quota system for government jobs.
The quota movement began on July 1, initiated by students from different public universities demanding the cancellation of a High Court order dated June 5, which instructed the Bangladesh government to reinstate a 30 per cent job quota for descendants of freedom fighters of the 1971 Liberation War of Bangladesh.
Following Bangladesh’s independence, 30 per cent of jobs were reserved for freedom fighters, later extended in 1997 to their children and in 2010 to their grandchildren. In 2018, widespread protests led to the cancellation of the quota system for first and second-class jobs through a government circular. However, on June 5, 2024, the High Court ruled in favour of a writ petition filed by a freedom fighter’s descendant and six others, deeming the 2018 circular illegal and reinstating quotas in government recruitment. The government has appealed this ruling.
