Students Against Discrimination, a Bangladeshi activist group, urged locals to continue protests against Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina following deadly protests over civil service quotas. The quota system, which reserved government jobs for the descendants of liberation war veterans, sparked massive civil unrest led by student activists last month, which resulted in the deaths of over 200 people. This marked the deadliest unrest in the country in over a decade.
The leader of Students Against Discrimination, Asif Mahmud, posted on Facebook to encourage others to take to the streets. He also announced a set of points to make the movement successful. These included the refusal by the people to pay any taxes, and the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Prime Minister Hasina has ruled Bangladesh since 2009 and just won her fourth consecutive election without meaningful opposition.
The anti-quota protests began on July 1 but escalated in mid-July when clashes erupted between students and police at Dhaka University, spreading rapidly across the country. According to the Home Minister, Asaduzzaman Khan, the 200 deceased include students, police officers, and individuals from various professions. Over 9,000 people were reportedly arrested as well. The unrest has also resulted in significant property damage, including attacks on government buildings, metro rail stations, and power substations.
Khan emphasized that the police acted with restraint, only opening fire when necessary to protect government properties and maintain order. “The police never opened fire in an overzealous manner. They remained patient and only fired when they were forced to,” he said. Despite this claim, video footage and eyewitness reports suggest a heavy-handed response by law enforcement.
To regain control, the government imposed a nationwide curfew and deployed the army. Although the curfew has been gradually eased, the situation remains tense, with schools and many businesses still closed. The government also shut down mobile internet services for 11 days, further isolating the country and stifling communication. On July 29, the Bangladeshi Minister for Posts, Telecommunications, and Information Technology, Zunaid Ahmed Palak, announced that 4G mobile internet services would be restored.
Another leader of Students Against Discrimination, Nahid Islam, and other leaders were reportedly taken from a hospital by plainclothes detectives, with their whereabouts currently unknown. On Thursday, the Bangladeshi government banned opposition party Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami and its student organization Bangladesh Islami Chhatra Shibir, on the charges of crimes against humanity and “terrorist activities” in the country’s quota reform movement.
