Bangladesh: protests by students against the government’s job quota system have turned violent and people have died and been injured. Protests arose in relation to recent changes to the quota system for government positions that are based on quotas related to a number of categories including family connections to freedom fighters in Bangladesh’s war of independence in 1971.
The protests started in 2018 after the High Court overturned the anti-quota decision that was made by the administration of then Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. This led to student protests for reformative changes as more and more students called for the eradication of all categories except for the native and the disabled ones.
When the Supreme Court decided to withhold the orders made by the High Court in this matter, the students stepped up their protest as they felt they were being neglected by the government. Battles broke out between the protesters and the student wing of the ruling Awami League party where police used rubber bullets, tear gas, and sound bombs to throw the protesters. In response, demonstrators closed roads and railways to create further disturbances to the public.
The quota system is often criticized for restricting job access of other candidates without quota provisions and for worsening youth employment problems in a country where a large number of citizens are having difficulty finding jobs. Beloved Bangladesh, which earlier indicated high economic growth rates, now also has problems like inflation and low reserves, which only increase people’s dissatisfaction.
Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, in power since 2009 and re-elected for a fourth term in 2020 after disputed elections, has condemned the violence observed during the protests while urging for patience and legality.
The unrest highlights socio-economic dissatisfaction among youths in Bangladesh with jobs, unemployment, and perceived injustice in government employment opportunities. Today, everyone waits for the Supreme Court to release its decision, which would either calm people down or escalate the situation.
