In Bangladesh, quota reformists’ clashes with police and ruling party Awami League affiliated student wing Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) across the country. At least six people were killed and scores injured in the last two days. Three people died in Chattogram, two in Dhaka and one in Rangpur district.
The University Grants Commission of Bangladesh said that all public and private universities, its affiliated medical colleges and other institutions, would remain closed until further notice for the sake of students’ safety.
The traffic movement in Dhaka came to a standstill yesterday morning as students demanding quota reform blocked different important points in the capital. The agitating students have blocked roads in Chattogram, Rangpur, Rajshahi and other cities of Bangladesh including highways in different parts of the country. The rail lines at several locations, including Dhaka’s Mohakhali have been blocked by the agitators, leading to a halt in train services.
The ruling Awami League’s student wing, Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) allegedly attacked the agitating students of Dhaka University on Sunday night, spreading the quota reforms agitation across the country. The students from across Bangladesh have staged demonstrations and blockades at different places in several districts protesting against the BCL’s attacks on the quota protestors and demanding reforms in the quota system.
Earlier, on July 1 students of different public universities launched a quota movement. The students were demanding the cancellation of a High Court order dated June 5 that asked the Bangladesh government to reinstate 30 per cent job quotas for the descendants of freedom fighters of the 1971 liberation war of Bangladesh. After the independence of Bangladesh, 30 per cent of the jobs were reserved for freedom fighters. In 1997, the government extended the quota to children of freedom fighters. In 2010, it was further expanded to include the grandchildren of freedom fighters.
In 2018, following nationwide protests against this quota system, a government circular cancelled the quota system for first- and second-class jobs. However, on June 5, 2024, the High Court ruled on a writ petition filed by the descendant of a freedom fighter and six others. The HC said that the 2018 circular was illegal, meaning quotas were re-established in government recruitment once more. The government has appealed this ruling.
Disclaimer: This press release is sourced from News On AIR, Prasar Bharti and Press Information Bureau India (PIB).
