Hell Breaks Loose on Bangladeshi Students
The Hasina government in Bangladesh has unleashed chaos on students protesting a 30% government job quota for the family members of veteran freedom fighters. The student movement began at the University of Dhaka following a High Court decision to reinstate the quota system, which the same government had abandoned in 2018. After the movement began, the government's attorney general appealed to the Supreme Court.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's comment that the freedom fighter quota would remain valid and that no razakars (collaborators with the Pakistani government during Bangladesh's Independence war) would benefit from it sparked further outrage among students. In response, students at the University of Dhaka began using the derogatory term “razakar” to describe themselves, leading to a polarized social media environment with "razakar" and "anti-razakar" slogans.
Despite the Law Minister's call for negotiations and Hasina's appeal for patience until the Supreme Court's verdict on August 7, the students have continued their protests. The Hasina administration responded by releasing Chhatra League's goons to disperse the protests. According to media reports, the police have killed several students, with initial reports indicating six deaths by last Thursday and ten deaths by Wednesday due to police firing. Subsequent reports revealed a death toll ranging from 25 to 41.
Social media users also posted videos of Armored Personal Career (APC) movements in the city on Wednesday. Media reports indicated that the government had deployed border forces to calm the student movement. Meanwhile, universities across the country announced shutdowns, with police preventing students from entering or leaving the halls. A teacher from Jahangirnagar University claimed that injured students were being denied access to hospitals for treatment.
As French writer Voltaire said, "If God did not exist, it would be necessary to invent Him." Similarly, in Bangladeshi politics, any movement is usually blamed on the opposition. The Hasina administration has claimed that the movement is being instigated by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), the arch-rival opposition. Many opposition leaders have been arrested in connection with the protests from the BNP headquarters.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is scheduled for an official visit to Spain on July 21-22. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has canceled a press conference on her upcoming visits to Spain and Brazil.
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