University students shout slogans during a protest to demand justice for the victims killed in the recent countrywide deadly clashes and ask for their campuses to be opened, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Wednesday, July 31, 2024.
| Photo Credit: AP

Police in Bangladesh fired tear gas and stun grenades to disperse people who were demonstrating on July 31 against the excessive use of force by authorities during protests earlier in July that left at least 150 dead.

The unrest is the biggest test facing Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, 76, since she won a fourth term in January elections boycotted by the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party, which were also marred by deadly protests.

Ms. Hasina on July 31 sought cooperation from the United Nations and other international organisations to conduct a proper investigation into the recent nationwide violence during the anti-quota agitation to punish the real culprits involved in the attacks.

“We’re seeking UN and other international organisations’ cooperation for a fair and proper investigation into the matter,” Hasina said, adding that the people involved in the violence must be brought to justice.

“Because I know I have no negligence to this end,” she was quoted as saying by the Dhaka Tribune newspaper.

Speaking at an event, she came down heavily on those who were involved in damaging public properties alongside killing many people and thus tarnishing the country’s image.

Police said they used force on July 31 when people in the northeastern district of Sylhet broke through barricades to march towards for the courts.

“We requested the protesters to move from the road, but they didn’t listen and instead attacked the police, forcing us to disperse them with tear gas and stun grenades,” said regional deputy commissioner Azbahar Ali Sheikh.

Police and protesters scuffled in Dhaka, the capital, and the southern port city of Chittagong, witnesses said. It was not immediately clear if there were any fatalities.

At least 10 persons, including four journalists, were injured in southern Barishal district, where police used batons to disperse protesters.

Police detained at least seven students in Dhaka near the high court, where lawyers and university teachers joined the demonstrators.

MARCH CALLED BY STUDENT GROUP

Wednesday’s nationwide “March for Justice” was called by the Students Against Discrimination group that was at the forefront of protests against quotas in government jobs.

That initial unrest earlier in July left thousands wounded as security forces fired rubber bullets, tear gas and stun grenades to disperse those gathered.

Although the students agreed to halt their protest after the Supreme Court scrapped most quotas on July 21, they returned recently to the streets to call out the dozens of deaths, arrests, and government intimidation.

“We will also demand a United Nations investigation into the violence,” Mohammad Mahin Sarkar, a coordinator of the movement, said in a statement.

International rights groups have condemned close to 10,000 arrests over the past two weeks on charges of involvement in clashes and destruction of government property.

They say Ms. Hasina has become increasingly autocratic during her last 15 years in power, which have been marked by arrests of political opponents and activists, allegations she denies.

Ms. Hasina, at an event in Dhaka, said Bangladesh had appealed to the United Nations and various international bodies for help

Bangladesh shut down the internet after the earlier unrest and imposed a nationwide curfew as the protests, which began in educational institutions in June, became more widespread.

JAMAAT BAN

Ms. Hasina’s government said it was set to ban the main Islamic party, Jamaat-e-Islami, and its student wing, both of which Dhaka blames for violence during the protests.

Dhaka has set up a judicial inquiry to investigate the violence, Law Minister Anisul Huq told Reuters.

In a statement, Jamaat condemned the proposed ban as “illegal, extrajudicial and unconstitutional.”

The party’s chief Shafiqur Rahman, along with the opposition, have denied they had stoked the violence.

Jamaat was effectively barred from elections after a court said in 2013 its registration as a political party conflicted with Bangladesh’s secular constitution.

The United Nations, global rights groups, the United States and Britain criticised Dhaka’s use of force against the demonstrators, asking it to uphold the right to peaceful protest.

Around 18 million young Bangladeshis are out of work, as per government figures.
| Photo Credit: Reuters

Bangladeshi student group has vowed on July 28 to resume protests that sparked a lethal police crackdown and nationwide unrest unless several of their leaders are released from custody.

“Last week’s violence killed at least 205 people”, according to an AFP count of police and hospital data, in one of the biggest upheavals of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s 15-year tenure.

Also Read: Explained | On the student protests in Bangladesh

Army patrols and a nationwide curfew remain in place more than a week after they were imposed and a police dragnet has scooped up thousands of protesters including at least half a dozen student leaders.

Members of Students Against Discrimination group, whose campaign against civil service job quotas precipitated the unrest, said they would end their weeklong protest moratorium.

The group’s chief Nahid Islam and others “should be freed and the cases against them must be withdrawn”, Abdul Hannan Masud, one of the coordinators of the anti-discrimination group, said in an online briefing on July 27.

Also Read: Bangladesh arrest total passes 2,500

Abdul, who did not disclose his location because he was in hiding from authorities, also demanded “visible actions” be taken against Government Ministers and police officers responsible for the deaths of protesters.

“Otherwise, Students Against Discrimination will be forced to launch tough protests from July 29,” he added.

Nahid Islam and two other senior members of the protest group were forcibly discharged from hospital on July 26 in the capital Dhaka and taken away by a group of plainclothes detectives.

Earlier in the week Nahid Islam told AFP he was being treated at the hospital for injuries police inflicted on him during an earlier round of detention and said he was in fear for his life.

Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan told reporters on July 26 that the trio were taken into custody for their own safety but did not confirm if they had been formally arrested.

Police told AFP on July 28 that detectives had taken two others into custody, while a Students Against Discrimination activist told AFP that another person had been taken on July 28 morning.

“At least 9,000 people have been arrested nationwide since the unrest began,” according to Prothom Alo, a Bangladesh’s newspaper.

Telecommunications Minister Zunaid Ahmed Palak told reporters the country’s mobile internet network would be restored later on July 28, eleven days after a nationwide blackout imposed at the height of the unrest.

“Fixed line broadband connections had already been restored on July 23 but the vast majority of Bangladesh’s 141 million internet users rely on their mobile devices to connect with the world,” according to the National telecoms regulator.

‘Job crisis’

Also Watch | Bangladesh protests: The trouble ahead for Hasina government

Protests began this month over the reintroduction of a quota scheme reserving more than half of all government jobs for certain groups.

With around 18 million young Bangladeshis out of work — as per the government figures — the move deeply upset graduates facing an acute employment crisis.

In Focus podcast: What do the student protests signify for the Sheikh Hasina regime in Bangladesh?

Critics say the quota is used to stack public jobs with loyalists to the ruling Awami League. The Supreme Court cut the number of reserved jobs last week but fell short of protesters’ demands to scrap the quotas entirely.

The protests in the UAE followed weeks of protests in Bangladesh by demonstrators protesting a job quota system.

Authorities in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) ordered an investigation and an expedited trial of Bangladeshi nationals arrested for protesting against their home government across the Gulf country, state media reported.

The protests in the UAE followed weeks of protests in Bangladesh by demonstrators protesting a quota system that reserved up to 30% of government jobs for relatives of veterans who fought in Bangladesh’s war of independence in 1971. The country’s top court on July 21 scaled back on the controversial system, in a partial victory for student protesters.

The UAE’s attorney general’s office indicted on July 20 the Bangladeshis on several charges, including “gathering in a public place and protesting against their home government with the intent to incite unrest,” obstructing law enforcement, causing harm to others and damaging property, according to the state-owned Emirates News Agency WAM.

“Based on the preliminary investigation results, the Public Prosecution has ordered their pretrial detention pending further investigations,” WAM reported. The report did not specify how many Bangladeshis were arrested.

Bangladeshi nationals make up the UAE’s third largest expatriate community, many of whom are low-paid labourers seeking to send money back home to their families. The Emirates’ overall population of more than 9.2 million is only 10% Emirati.

Political parties and labour unions are banned in the UAE, a federation of seven sheikhdoms. Broad laws severely restrict freedom of speech and almost all major local media are either state-owned or state-affiliated outlets.

Police patrol the streets during an imposed curfew after scores were killed and hundreds injured in clashes over the allocation of civil service jobs, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Sunday, July 21, 2024.
| Photo Credit: AP

Bangladesh appeared calm on July 22 amid a curfew, but widespread disruption of telecoms prevailed a day after the Supreme Court scrapped some quotas for government jobs that sparked protests this month that killed scores.

Also Read: Bangladesh protests: BSF opens ‘special help desks’ to facilitate return of Indian students 

Clashes between protesters and security forces killed at least 139 people across the South Asian nation after the high court last month reinstated job reservations removed by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government in 2018.

On July 21, however, the Supreme Court ordered that 93% of government jobs should be allocated on the basis of merit, against earlier quotas of 56% for groups such as families of freedom fighters, women, and people from underdeveloped areas.

There were no reports of violence or protests on July 22 morning and media said the curfew would be relaxed for three hours in the afternoon, extended from two hours the previous day, so that people could buy essentials.

Student protesters have said they plan to continue demonstrations, however, until the release of detained protest leaders, and have demanded the government lift the curfew and re-open universities shut since Wednesday.

They have set a 48-hour deadline for the government to act on the demands.

Last week’s protests saw thousands injured as security forces fired tear gas, rubber bullets, and sound grenades to scatter the demonstrators.

Experts have blamed the unrest on stagnant job growth in the private sector and high rates of youth unemployment that have made government jobs, with their regular wage hikes and other privileges, more attractive.

Ms. Hasina, who was sworn in for a fourth consecutive term this year, has been accused of authoritarianism, human rights violations, and crackdowns on free speech and dissent in the past – charges her government denies.

Students arrive at Chennai Airport, from the violence-hit Bangladesh, on July 21, 2024.
| Photo Credit: B. Velankanni Raj

The Border Security Force (BSF) South Bengal Frontier has set up “special help desks” at Integrated Check Posts (ICP) along the India-Bangladesh border to facilitate the safe return of students from the violence-torn neighbouring country.

Officials said it is in touch with the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) to coordinate the safe evacuation of students, even during night-time operations.

“The BSF has successfully assisted in the return of 572 Indian students, 133 Nepalese students and four Bhutanese students so far,” the border guarding force said in a statement.

“Amid this unrest, many Indian, Nepalese and Bhutanese students studying in various educational institutions in Bangladesh are being sent back to their countries. The BSF South Bengal Frontier has set up special help desks at ICP Petrapole, LCS Gede, Ghojadanga, and Mahadipur to facilitate the safe return of these students,” a BSF statement said.

“The BSF is in constant touch with BGB. This coordination has ensured the safe evacuation of students even during nighttime operations. To further enhance the efficiency of the process, the immigration desk at ICP Petrapole will now be open 24/7, ensuring uninterrupted and safe passage for all students returning home,” BSF DIG A. K. Arya said.

Bangladesh has been reeling under deadly clashes, with protesting students demanding that the Sheikh Hasina-led government scrap a controversial job quota system.

The protesters have been demanding an end to a quota system that reserves up to 30% of government jobs for relatives of veterans who fought in Bangladesh’s war of independence in 1971 against Pakistan.

More than 100 people have been killed in the clashes that broke out weeks ago, according to reports from Dhaka, though the exact number of deaths is not yet clear.

On July 21, the Supreme Court of Bangladesh scrapped most job quotas that caused deadly unrest in the country, scaling down government jobs for veterans’ descendants to 5%, ruling that 93% be allocated on merit.

A member of the Bangladesh Army checks bags of women during a curfew imposed in response to student-led protests against government job quotas, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, July 20, 2024.
| Photo Credit: REUTERS

Bangladesh extended a curfew on July 21 to control violent student-led protests that have killed at least 114 people, as authorities braced for a Supreme Court hearing later in the day on government job quotas that sparked the anger.

Soldiers have been on patrol on the streets of capital Dhaka, the centre of the demonstrations that spiralled into clashes between protesters and security forces.

Internet and text message services in Bangladesh have been suspended since Thursday, cutting the nation off as police cracked down on protesters who defied a ban on public gatherings.

A curfew ordered late on Friday has been extended to 3 p.m. (0900 GMT) on July 21, until after the Supreme Court hearing, and will continue for an “uncertain time” following a two-hour break for people to gather supplies, local media reported.

Universities and colleges have also been closed since Wednesday.

Nationwide unrest broke out following student anger against quotas for government jobs that included reserving 30% for the families of those who fought for independence from Pakistan.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government had scrapped the quota system in 2018, but a court reinstated it last month.

The Supreme Court suspended the decision after a government appeal and will hear the case on Sunday after agreeing to bring forward a hearing scheduled for Aug. 7.

The demonstrations — the biggest since Hasina was re-elected for a fourth successive term this year — have also been fuelled by high unemployment among young people, who make up nearly a fifth of the population.

The U.S. State Department on Saturday raised its travel advisory for Bangladesh to level four, urging American citizens to not travel to the South Asian country.

Bangladesh soldiers stand guard along the road following a curfew and the deployment of military forces in Dhaka on July 20, 2024, after days of clashes during protests against government job quotas across the country. Soldiers were out in force on July 20 in cities around Bangladesh after another day of lethal clashes between student protesters and police prompted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to cancel foreign visits.
| Photo Credit: AFP

Bangladesh soldiers patrolled Dhaka’s deserted streets on July 20 amid a curfew to quell deadly students-led protests against government job quotas that have killed more than 100 people this week.

A suspension on internet and text message services has remained in place since July 18, cutting off Bangladesh from the world as police cracked down on protests that have continued despite a ban on public gatherings.

The violent clashes have killed at least 105 people and injured thousands this week, according to data from hospitals across Bangladesh. The Dhaka Medical College Hospital received 27 dead bodies on Friday between 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

The nationwide unrest initially broke out over student anger against new quotas for government jobs, including 30% for the families of those who fought for independence from Pakistan.

That measure has opened old and sensitive political fault lines between those who fought for Bangladesh’s independence from Pakistan in 1971 and those accused of collaborating with Islamabad.

Over the past five days, police have fired tear gas and hurled sound grenades to scatter protesters during the nationwide unrest, as demonstrators clashed with security personnel, throwing bricks and setting fire to vehicles.

With the death toll climbing and police unable to contain the violent protests, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government on Friday imposed a national curfew and deployed the military.

The curfew will ease for two hours from 12 p.m. on July 20 to allow people to shop for supplies and complete other chores, TV channels reported.

The curfew will last until 10 a.m. on July 21 at which point the government will assess the situation and decide the next course of action, the reports added.

The demonstrations — the biggest since Hasina was re-elected for a fourth successive term this year — have also been fuelled by high unemployment among young people, who make up nearly a fifth of a population of 170 million.

International rights groups have criticised the internet suspension and actions of security forces. The European Union said it is deeply concerned by the violence and loss of life.

An injured policeman lies on a street during clashes with students during dayslong protests over the allocation of government jobs, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, July 18, 2024.
| Photo Credit: AP

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is following the developments in Bangladesh very closely and is deeply concerned by the ongoing violence, his spokesperson has said, urging authorities in Dhaka to work with its young population and find solutions to the ongoing challenges.

Violent protests erupted in Bangladesh over quotas in the allocation of government jobs.

“Turning to the situation in Bangladesh, I can tell you that we are, of course, following the developments in the capital, Dhaka, and other places in Bangladesh very closely, and we continue to call for restraint from all sides,” Stephane Dujarric, Spokesperson for the Secretary-General, said at the daily press briefing Thursday.

The UN chief urged the Bangladesh Government to ensure a conducive environment for dialogue and encouraged protesters to engage in dialogue to resolve the deadlock.

“Violence is never a solution,” Mr. Dujarric said, adding that the Secretary-General encourages meaningful and constructive participation of youth in building a better world.

Mr. Guterres called upon Bangladesh authorities to work with its young population, find solutions to the ongoing challenges and catalyse their energy towards the country’s growth and development.

Mr. Dujarric, responding to a question on the situation, said that the Secretary-General is deeply concerned by the ongoing violence, and that includes the reported dozens of deaths, and the hundreds of injured, including journalists.

Mr. Guterres urged the authorities in Bangladesh to investigate all acts of violence, hold perpetrators to account, and ensure a conducive environment for dialogue, he added.

“It is important that we see restraint on all sides. The Secretary-General further encourages meaningful and constructive participation of youth to address the ongoing challenges in Bangladesh. Violence is not going to lead anywhere,” Mr. Dujarric said.

He underlined that the Secretary-General has been very clear, in Bangladesh and every other place in the world, of the need for the authorities to allow journalists to do their work in safety.

University students in Dhaka and other cities have been holding rallies for days against the system of reserving some public sector jobs for the relatives of war heroes, who fought for the country’s independence from Pakistan in 1971.

At least 25 people have been killed and more than 2,500 others injured in the violence following protests, according to media reports on Thursday.