KATHMANDU: Students in Bangladesh engaged in violent protests against the government's employment allocation system, prompting police to fight back and attempt to impose a statewide closure on Thursday. Media reports state that the country's continuous violence has claimed the lives of 19 other individuals. Dhaka-based Prothom Alo and the Daily Star both reported the deaths, bringing the total number of fatalities to 25 since Tuesday when six others lost their lives. The clashes on Thursday left hundreds more injured, although authorities have not immediately confirmed these figures.
In the latest wave of violence, six people died in Dhaka's Uttara area in clashes between protesters, security officials, and ruling party activists. Thirteen others, including a journalist, were killed in other parts of the capital and elsewhere. Protesters attacked the head office of the state-run Bangladesh Television station, setting fire to the reception and vehicles. The attack forced some employees to flee, and despite the violence, the station continued broadcasting, although some residents reported a disrupted signal.
Student protests, which have been ongoing for weeks, escalated after violence broke out on the Dhaka University campus on Monday over a quota system for government jobs that favors allies of the ruling party. Authorities searched the main opposition party's offices and the government closed campuses in response to the violence. Both the Law Minister and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina have stated that they are willing to have conversations with the demonstrators. Protesters, backed by the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party, witnessed confrontations and disturbances in Dhaka and other cities on Thursday, calling for a "complete shutdown".
There has been controversy around the quota system, which reserves up to 30% of government employment for the families of veterans of Bangladesh's 1971 independence war. The prevailing Awami League party's supporters claim it is biased in favor of them. The quotas were stopped in 2018 due to widespread protests, but the High Court reinstated them last month, which is what sparked the present protests. The administration has requested for an early hearing, and the Supreme Court is anticipated to rule on the matter on August 7. Prime Minister Hasina has urged patience in the interim and given her assurance that those accountable for the recent violence will face consequences.
