New Delhi, July 19
Bangladesh is witnessing violent clashes between student protesters, security officials, and pro-government student activists over a quota system for government jobs. 39 people died in the violence so far.
The protesters are demanding that the Sheikh Hasina government stop setting aside 30 per cent of government jobs for the families of people who fought in the 1971 war of independence from Pakistan. The protestors called it a discriminatory system and want to replace it with a merit-based system
Hundreds of people were injured as police fired tear gas and rubber bullets to break up groups of protesters, who torched vehicles, police posts and other establishments.
As reported in international media, communication services were widely disrupted in Bangladesh with authorities cutting some mobile services to try to quell the unrest but the disruption spread across the country. There was a "near-total" internet shutdown.
The student protestors set fire to the state broadcaster’s building a day after the Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina, appeared on the network seeking to calm the clashes. Several police posts, vehicles and other establishments were also torched. Multiple Awami League officers were also attacked by the students.
The agitation, fueled by high unemployment, is the biggest since Prime Minister Hasina was reelected earlier this year.
The officials mentioned that the protests began late last month. However, it escalated on July 15 when student activists at Dhaka University clashed with police and counter-protesters backed by the ruling Awami League.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, meanwhile, appealed for peace and assured the students that they will not be disappointed by the Supreme Court's decision. During her address to the nation, she also declared that judicial inquiries would be conducted and the perpetrators would be brought to justice.
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