Bangladesh shuts universities, colleges indefinitely after protests turn
deadly
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[July 17, 2024]
By Ruma Paul
DHAKA (Reuters) - Bangladesh announced it will indefinitely shut down
all public and private universities from Wednesday after protests by
students against a quota system for government jobs turned deadly this
week, leaving at least six people dead and scores injured.
The South Asian nation has been rocked by protests for weeks over public
sector job quotas, which include a 30% reservation for family members of
freedom fighters from the 1971 War of Independence from Pakistan. It has
sparked anger among students who face high youth unemployment rates,
with nearly 32 million young Bangladeshis not in work or education out
of a total population of 170 million people.
Demonstrations intensified after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina refused to
meet the protesters' demands, citing ongoing court proceedings, and
labelled those opposing the quota as "razakar" - a term used for those
who allegedly collaborated with the Pakistani army during the 1971 war.
The protests turned violent this week when thousands of anti-quota
protesters clashed with members of the student wing of the ruling Awami
League party across the country. Police used rubber bullets and tear gas
to disperse the protesters.
Six people, including at least three students, were killed during the
clashes on Tuesday, police said.
"We urgently call on the Government of Bangladesh to immediately
guarantee the safety of all peaceful protesters and proper treatment of
all those injured," Amnesty International said in a post on X.
Authorities have deployed riot police, along with the Border Guard
Bangladesh paramilitary force, at university campuses across the country
to maintain law and order.
Late on Tuesday, the University Grants Commission ordered all
universities to shut down and instructed students to vacate the premises
immediately for security reasons. High schools, colleges and other
educational institutions were also shut.
Nahid Islam, the coordinator of the anti-quota protests, said students
will hold processions on Wednesday carrying coffins in solidarity with
those that lost their lives.
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![](../images/071724PIX/news_o32.jpg)
Armed Police Battalion (APBN) is deployed to the University of
Dhaka, a day after the clash between Bangladesh Chhatra League, the
student wing of the ruling party Bangladesh Awami League, and
anti-quota protesters, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, July 17, 2024.
REUTERS/Mohammad Ponir Hossain
![](http://archives.lincolndailynews.com/2024/Jul/17/images/ads/current/bees_lda_HEROES_2024.png)
"Many have left the dormitories out of fear due to attacks by cadres
of the student league (the student wing of the ruling party)," said
a female student of Dhaka University, who asked not to be named for
fear of reprisal.
"Still, many students remain, especially in the men's dormitories.
Those of us currently staying in the dorms are not leaving easily."
Police raided the headquarters of the main opposition, the
Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), in Dhaka around midnight on
Tuesday and arrested seven activists, including a former leader of
its student wing.
Harun Or Rashid, the head of police's detective branch, said they
recovered 100 crude bombs and several bottles of petrol during the
raid that was conducted after a bus was set on fire near the BNP
office.
Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, the senior joint secretary of BNP, condemned the
raid and said the government planted the recovered items to
discredit the anti-quota protests.
The protests are the first significant challenge to Hasina's
government since she secured a fourth consecutive term in January in
an election boycotted by the BNP.
Experts attribute the unrest to stagnant job growth in the private
sector, making government jobs, which offer regular wage hikes and
other privileges, increasingly desirable.
Currently, 56% of government jobs in Bangladesh are reserved under
various quotas, including 10% for women, 10% for people from
underdeveloped districts, 5% for indigenous communities, and 1% for
people with disabilities.
(Reporting by Ruma Paul; Editing by Sudipto Ganguly and Raju
Gopalakrishnan)
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