Students in Bangladesh protest quota policies, face repression

The Bangladesh Government imposed a curfew and shoot on sight order, July 20, against student protesters demonstrating against an age-old quota policy.

Protests started June 11, by various student groups and youth organizations connected to prominent universities in Bangladesh. The demand of these groups was to scrap public job quotas for fighters (and their relatives) who fought for the independence of Bangladesh.

Why youth in Bangladesh want the quota for independence fighters scrapped

The quota was allotted after the 1971 independence war of Bangladesh for “mukti jyodhas” or independence fighters, after which the Bangladesh government allotted a 30% quota to the independence fighters and their families in public sector jobs. Since then, this quota has fallen to disfavor amongst the common people because of the ever increasing challenge of determining who exactly qualifies for this quota.

The other issues students are facing is that there are additional job quotas regarding affirmative action, and the additional 30% quota makes up around 56% of all public sector jobs, which squeezes many students out of finding government jobs.

Progressive and left leaning student groups think the original 30% quota allocated to independence fighters at this current moment is not of much relevance and should be scrapped. It is also worth noting that the current party in power, the Awami League, has allowed party members to receive these public sector jobs without much proof of connection to the independence war, thereby fueling the anti-government sentiment that corruption is definitely at play.

In 2018, huge protests led by student groups managed to force Sheikh Hasina and her party to scrap two levels of quotas, but since last year, the High Court of Bangladesh reinstated the quota system via writ petition.

What is the current situation?

Since Thursday, July 11, several student organizations on various campuses have begun protests in Dhaka University, Chittagong University, Jahangirnagar University and BRAC University, amongst others, to demand the removal of the quota allocated to independence fighters. The current movement is supported by student groups Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal, Democratic Student Force (DSF), Bangladesh Student Federation and the Bangladesh Chhatra Union as well as the Communist Party of Bangladesh.

At the onset of the protest, students faced political repression from the police, as well as the youth wing connected to the Awami League, the Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) who beat protesting students. Several thousand students have been beaten and injured by the police, and reportedly 100 students have been killed, although there are conflicting reports from the ground that the number is closer to 200.

The police in Bangladesh have unleashed their full arsenal at the behest of the ruling party, firing live rounds, tear gassing and brutalizing students across the country, while armored vehicles patrol the streets to force students to abandon their campuses.

Early Saturday morning, July 20, the internet was shut down and news about the situation was limited. Citizens of Bangladesh took to social media to publish news and post stories regarding the size of the mass protests and the level of brutality meted out by the police.

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