Bangladesh: Several dead in student protests over quota system
Hundreds of students have been injured during protests in Dhaka. Students loyal to the government attacked peaceful marchers.
Clashes in Dhaka
Hundreds of people in Bangladesh have been injured while demonstrating against a new quota system for coveted government jobs. The violence broke out between rival student groups. Protesters who had taken part in peaceful marches were attacked with stones, sticks and machetes by pro-government activists.
Several dead and injured
Bangladesh's Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wazed and the Supreme Court had called on the protesters to return to the lecture halls. Nevertheless, the violence between the various groups escalated. Shamsur Rahman, head of the clinic at Jahangirnagar University, speaks of more than a hundred injured students in his institution alone. News agency AP reported several fatalities.
Brutal violence emanates from pro-government students
A student allegedly loyal to the government is beating a protester with a metal rod. "They attacked us all of a sudden and took us completely by surprise," 26-year-old student Shahinur Shumi told the AFP news agency in hospital.
The situation remains tense
The violence has provoked international protest: The US State Department condemns the "violence against peaceful demonstrators." The bone of contention is the introduction of a quota that favors veterans of the 1971 War of Independence for jobs in the civil service.
Riot police against quota opponents
A massive police force was deployed to bring the situation at the universities under control. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Hasina defends the quota system: the "freedom fighters" of 1971 had given up dreams for their own lives and therefore "deserve the highest respect," she said at an event in Dhaka.
Call for a reform of the quota system
On the Dhaka University campus, female students are protesting for a change, from the quota system to a merit-based system. The protests have been smouldering for some time, but now the violence has suddenly escalated. Student representatives blame student groups close to the government.
What happens next?
Despite all the violence, the student protesters remain undeterred: They continue to demand a fairer system for the distribution of posts in the civil service. The government's reaction will be decisive for further developments. Will it seek a constructive dialogue or will it continue to use violence as a means of policy?