Pranav Mathur, Pune
Hundreds of students in Dhaka have been holding protests for weeks, which have intensified in the last few days. 39 people have been killed and over 2,500 have been injured as of 19th July 2024, with violence steadily escalating. The protests ended up taking a drastic step as the students ended up setting fire to Bangladesh’s State Broadcaster (BTV) on Thursday, after the country’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina took to the platform to try and calm the ongoing clashes down.
The students went against riot police officers, who shot rubber bullets. This only angered the crowd more and caused them to retaliate, chasing the officers to BTV headquarters, where the students set fire to the reception and the parked vehicles.
It was alleged that Hasina’s administration was misusing state institutions, including the extrajudicial execution of opposition activists, in order to maintain its hold on power and stifle dissent. The riots have gotten so out of hand that now all schools and colleges have been asked to shut down until further notice as the police try to control the law and order situation that seems to be worsening consistently.
One of the protesters told AFP that they have two demands. Firstly, they want the Prime Minister to apologise, keeping in mind the reservation law that was passed, and secondly, they want justice to be served for their fellow mates who were killed.
The protests are taking place because the government initiated a quota system that reserves 30% of government job seats to the relatives of veterans who fought in the war of independence in 1971, against Pakistan. The protestors felt this to be discriminatory and steadily supported the people who backed the Awami League Party, which led the independence movement back then. The protestors urge the government to change the selection of candidates back to a merit based system.
But it is important to note that while the quota system does reserve seats for women, people with disabilities, and various ethnic minorities, the students’ main objective of this protest is against the reservation of seats for veterans’ relatives, but PM Hasina says that the people who fought in the war of independence deserve the utmost respect, even without the political ties.