Violent student protests in Bangladesh leave dozens dead

The country is facing a wave of unrest over demands for reform of the public employment quota system.

Bangladesh is immersed in one of its most violent crises in recent years due to massive protests students demanding reform of the public sector employment quota system. The situation has degenerated into violent clashes with security forces, resulting in dozens of deaths and hundreds of injuries.

The demonstrations began peacefully on July 1, with students marching in various public and private universities across the country. However, the situation turned violent on Monday when security forces attempted to suppress the protests, leading to intense clashes.

Paramilitary forces, police and riot squads have been deployed in major cities across the country. They are using tear gas and pellets to disperse protesters, while international organisations have denounced the illegal use of firearms. Thursday was the bloodiest day so far, with 38 reported dead, 26 of whom have been independently verified. Since Monday, the total death toll could be around 45, with more than 600 injured, mostly students, according to data from several hospitals.

In addition, the country has been in the grip of a blackout of both fixed and mobile internet communications since 9pm on Thursday (1500 GMT). Although authorities have not confirmed whether the outage is an official measure, it coincides with a global Microsoft system failure that has affected numerous sectors, including the aviation, financial and media sectors. This has significantly reduced real-time information on the situation in Bangladesh.

The main reason for the protests is a controversial quota system that reserves 30% of government jobs for descendants of fighters from the liberation war that led to Bangladesh’s independence from Pakistan more than fifty years ago. Currently, about 60% of government jobs are reserved for various groups, including ethnic minorities, people with disabilities and women. The students are demanding the removal of the quota for descendants of the liberation struggle, arguing that this leaves most young professionals with few opportunities in a context of unemployment and economic crisis.

The government has extended an invitation to dialogue, which has been rejected by the students, who are demanding an executive order to remove quotas, except for people with disabilities. The situation remains tense and the future for Bangladesh remains uncertain.