Bangladesh student protests resume

July 29, 2024
Picture taken Monday from Science laboratory area,Dhaka

Bangladeshi students staged isolated street protests on Monday after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's government rejected an ultimatum to release their leaders and apologize for those murdered in the deadly upheaval.

Student demonstrations against public service employment quotas ignited days of violence this month, killing at least 205 people, including some police officers, according to an AFP analysis of police and hospital statistics.

The clashes were among the most violent of Hasina's 15-year reign, but her administration has since mostly restored calm by sending troops, imposing a curfew, and shutting down the internet nationally.

"We are requesting all citizens of Bangladesh to show solidarity with our demands and join in our movement."

On Monday, several protests were held in Bangladesh's capital, Dhaka, and elsewhere.

'Back to normalcy'

"The situation is returning to normalcy as a result of the timely and appropriate measures taken by the government and the people," the foreign ministry said in a statement on Sunday.

On Tuesday, Hasina's government declared a national day of mourning for those who died during the riots.

Protests started last month against the return of a quota system that reserved more than half of all government employment for specific groups.

According to government data, over 18 million young Bangladeshis are unemployed, hence the move has greatly offended graduates who are facing an extreme job crisis.

Critics claim the quota is utilized to fill public positions with Awami League supporters.

Source The New Indian Express.

The quota protesters at Barishal University were allegedly attacked. The demonstrators reported that at least 16 students were injured in the incident.

The incident occurred at 2:00 p.m. on Monday. The victims claim that students linked with the university Chhatra League carried out the attack using sticks, rods, and pipes. Nine demonstrators were admitted to the Barishal Sher-e-Bangla Medical College Hospital.

Sujay Shuvo, the anti-discriminatory student movement coordinator in Barishal, said they staged a news conference to support the quota protesters. However, several newspapers reported inaccurate information about this. They then convened on the ground floor of the administration building to deliberate the future steps.

Users of 4G internet connections from multiple telecom mobile companies reported they had experienced.