By D. W. G. Kalani Tharanga, JadeTimes News
Nationwide Unrest Over Quota System
Amid escalating protests against the government’s job quota system, Bangladesh has ordered the closure of schools and universities indefinitely after six people were killed in clashes. Students have been rallying against the allocation of certain public sector jobs to relatives of war heroes, women, ethnic minorities, and the disabled. A significant proportion, one third of these positions, are reserved for the families of those who fought for Bangladesh’s independence from Pakistan in 1971. The students argue that this system is discriminatory and are demanding merit based recruitment.
The protests have seen violent confrontations between supporters of the anti quota movement and their opponents, notably the Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL), the student wing of the ruling Awami League. Clashes in cities including the capital Dhaka resulted in students attacking each other with bricks and sticks. Police intervened using tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse the groups. Abdullah Shaleheen Oyon, a coordinator of the anti quota movement, accused BCL members of instigating the violence, claiming that police failed to protect the protesting students.
Government Response and Ongoing Tensions
The contention over the quota system has deepened political divides in Bangladesh. Government jobs are highly sought after, and the system reserves over half of these positions for certain groups, which critics argue disproportionately benefits pro government families. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s administration abolished the quotas in 2018 following earlier protests, but a court ruling reinstated them in early June, sparking the latest unrest. Officials report three deaths in Chittagong, two in Dhaka, and one in Rangpur due to the clashes, though media sources indicate that at least three of the deceased were students.
Government officials, including Law Minister Anisul Huq, blame opposition groups for the violence, alleging infiltration by the student fronts of the opposition Jamaat e Islami and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). Following violent clashes, police raided BNP headquarters in Dhaka, which senior BNP leader Ruhul Kabir Rizvi condemned as a tactic to intimidate students. Despite the government’s strengthened security measures, including the deployment of Border Guards Bangladesh in major cities, the protests continue. Students are determined to sustain their demonstrations until their demands for the permanent removal of the quota system are met, spurred by anger over remarks from Prime Minister Hasina, which they perceived as derogatory.
UN Secretary General António Guterres has called on the Bangladeshi government to protect demonstrators from violence, reflecting international concern over the escalating situation. The government maintains that Prime Minister Hasina’s comments were misinterpreted and denies that the student wing of the Awami League initiated the violence. As tensions persist, the nation remains in a state of heightened alert, with students vowing to continue their fight for a fair and merit based recruitment system.
