Following the death of six people in protests over restrictions in federal jobs, schools and universities across Bangladesh have been closed until further notice.
Students at universities have been staging demonstrations for some time against the system that offers jobs in the open market to children of war soldiers who fought for the country’s separation from Pakistan in 1971.
Some tasks are even reserved for women, ethnic minorities and the handicapped.
A second of comments are kept for the babies of those who are categorized as war heroes. The pupils argue that the technique is biased, and they want selection based on merit.
This week, in a number of locations, including the capital Dhaka, there were verbal exchanges between proponents of the anti-quota motion and opponents of it, especially the student-wing of the ruling Awami League, known as the Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL).
Student organizations used masonry and sticks to attack each other. The conflicting parties were dispersed by police using rubber bullets and tear gas. According to undergraduate protesters, hundreds of people were hurt in the attacks.
” We blame the BCL people for the crime. They killed the demonstrators. Police did n’t intervene to save the ordinary students”, Abdullah Salehin Ayoun, one of the co-ordinators of the anti-quota movement, told the BBC.
Because of their high salaries, government positions are very sought-after in Bangladesh. More than half of the jobs, which total amount to hundreds of thousands, are held by particular groups.
Critics claim that the system badly benefits the kids of pro-government organizations that back Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who won her third election in a row in January.
Ms Hasina’s state abolished the appointment in 2018, following demonstrations.
The authorities were then ordered by a court to restore the quotas in early June, which sparked the most recent uprising.
According to authorities, one student was shot dead in Rangpur by a stray shot, while three people were killed in Chittagong, two in Dhaka, and two in Chittagong, two other people.
Media reports claim that at least three of the victims were pupils, though there is no formal confirmation as of this death.
The state attributes the crime to criticism organizations.
” The student fronts of the opposition Jamaat-e-Islami and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party]BNP ] have infiltrated this anti-quota movement. Law Minister Anisul Huq told the BBC,” They are the ones who started the crime.”
The current system was suspended last week by Bangladesh’s best judge, but demonstrations are anticipated to continue until it is completely removed.
” The situation has been listed for receiving on 7 August. Students have the opportunity to make their arguments in judge, according to Mr. Huq.
In a late-night function on Tuesday, police raided the offices of the BNP, the main opposition party, in Dhaka, following the violent confrontations.
Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, a top BNP president, claimed the attack was merely a episode and sent a message to the students who were returning home.
The pupils have been preventing customers from coming to a halt on main roads and highways in Dhaka and other major cities for days as the demonstrations have been going on.
Student leaders said they were angered by recent comments of Ms Hasina who, they say, described those opposed to the job quotas as razakar – a term used for those who allegedly collaborated with the Pakistani army during the 1971 war.
Several student leaders said Ms Hasina had insulted them by comparing them to razakar. The comparison, they said, also encouraged BCL members to attack them.
They “want to reduce our voices by inciting a state of terror in the nation.” If I do n’t protest today, they will beat me another day. That’s why I am on the roads to protest”, Rupaiya Sherstha, a adult student at Dhaka University, told the BBC.
But government ministers say Ms Hasina’s comments were misinterpreted, and she did not call the students razakar.
Mohammad Ali Arafat, state secretary for knowledge and television, denied claims that the student wing of the Awami League triggered the crime.
He claimed that the problem started when anti-quota pupils began to harass Dhaka residents.
” If there’s panic on the university campuses, there’s no benefit for the government. We want harmony to remain maintained”, Mr Arafat told the BBC.
According to his official Stephane Dujarric, UN Secretary General António Guterres demanded that the government “protect the protesters against any type of danger or crime.”
The kids have vowed to keep bringing in new requirements.
The state has strengthened safety by deploying the militia, Border Guards Bangladesh, in five major places, including Dhaka and Chittagong.