Bangladesh: At Least 3 Killed, Over 400 Injured In Violent Clashes Amid Student Protest Over Govt Job Quota System

The protesters demanded the government to put an end to the quota reserved for family members of veterans who fought in Bangladesh’s war of independence in 1971.

Violent clashes erupted between students backing and protesting against the quota system for government jobs in Bangladesh.

Source : X

At least three people were killed and over 400 were injured as violent clashes erupted overnight in Bangladesh between a pro-government student body backing the ruling Awami League Party and student protestors, who demanded that the quota be ended.

Police fired tear gas and rubber bullets and charged protestors with batons to disperse them, Associated Press reported.

The violence spread on early Tuesday at Jahangir Nagar University in Savar, situated outside the Bangladesh captial. The protesters had gathered here, demanding an end to a quota reserved for family members of veterans who fought in Bangladesh’s war of independence in 1971.

This quota allowed them to take up 30 per cent of the government jobs in the country.

The students protesting against the quota argue that the appointments made through this reservation are discriminatory and should be instead done on the basis of merit.

While some say the current quota system benefits groups supporting PM Sheikh Hasina, some Cabinet ministers slammed the protestors stating that they played with the emotions of students, AP reported.

On Tuesday, Hasina stated that the "freedom fighters" should be given the highest respect to honour the sacrifice they made in 1971, irrespective of their current political ideologies.

"Abandoning the dream of their own life, leaving behind their families, parents and everything, they joined the war with whatever they had...," AP quoted her as saying during an event at her office in Dhaka.

Police Claims It Fired Tear Gas After Protestors Attacked Them

Protestors gathered in front of the official residence of univeristy's vice-chancellor on Tuesday, where the violence began.

Bangladesh Chhatra League, a student wing of the ruling Awami League party was accused by the protestors of attacking their "peaceful protests".

The report stated that the student wing and police attacked the protestors.

However, a senior police official claimed that they fired tear gas and blank rounds as the demonstrators had attacked the cops, injuring 15 of them.

A medical officer at Enam Medical College Hospital located near the Jahangir Nagar University said that over 50 people were tereated at the hospital as the violence continued for hours. 

The medical officer also stated that at least 30 of these injured had suffered pellet wounds, AP reported.

The protestors had also blocked some highways and railways across Bangladesh. They had also halted traffic in several areas in Dhaka, vowing to continue their protests until the government agreed to their demands.

On Monday, violence spread at Dhaka University, where more than 100 students were injured in the clashes, police said.

The quota system for the families of war veterans was put on hold after a court order following mass protests by students in 2018.

However, in June, the country's High Court nullified the decision to reinstall the quota system, which left scored of students anegered and triggered protests.

Thereafter, the Supreme Court halted the HC's order for four weeks. The chief justice had said that the decision regarding the issue would be taken in four weeks and asked the protesting students to return to their classses.

But the protests failed to stop and have continued everyday in the country, affecting Dhaka's traffic.