Last updated on August 27th, 2024 at 07:09 pm
Authorities in Bangladesh have declared a nationwide curfew after weeks of stepped-up riots in the capital, Dhaka, left at least 35 more people dead. The uproar, created from student demands to scratch a job quota system in favor of families of 1971 independence war veterans, is a serious challenge to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government.
Key Details:
Curfew and Military Deployment: The announcement of the curfew by the Prime Minister’s office came after an attack on Narsingdi jail, which saw the release of hundreds of prisoners. Government Press Secretary Naeemul Islam Khan is on record saying the army would be deployed to help civilian authorities restore order.
“The government has decided to impose a curfew and deploy the military in aid of the civilian authorities,” Khan said.
Casualties and Communication Down: At least 67 people have been declared dead in this wave of violence. The actual number of the dead is hard to come by considering a massive communication shutdown. Both mobile internet and telephone lines are down.
Transport and Services Grind to a Halt: All bus and train services were taken off the streets. Street images from Dhaka show well-exercised, heavily armed police paramilitary running up and down the streets. Schools and universities have been closed indefinitely.
Protesters’ Demands:
Merit-Based Recruitment:** University students say the current quota system is discriminatory and are demanding merit-based job recruitment. Protesters’ demand a merit-based recruitment system, alleging that the current system is politically motivated and biased toward regular taxpayers.
Violence and Response: Protests continue despite the curfew and deployment of military. Students are blocking roads and shouting slogans like “merit, merit” and “we won’t let the blood that has been shed of our brothers go in vain.” Tear gas, rubber bullet and stun grenade were used to confront the March by Islamist parties.
Narsingdi Jail Incident:
Prison Attack: On Friday, several hundred prisoners in a raid stormed the Narsingdi district jail to spring out, mushing cops aside; many people saw it.
Opposition Support:
BNP’s Call for Protest: The main opposition party, Bangladesh National Party called for protests. Its exiled acting chairman, Tarique Rahman called for support for the student demonstrators. BNP said that one of its senior leaders, Ruhul Kabir Rizvi Ahmed was taken into custody and police are yet to provide any reasons. Government’s Stance :
Dialogue Efforts: Law Minister Anisul Haque said they were ready to sit for discussing all the problems with the protestors. Student leader of the demonstration Nahid Iqbal responded that in this situation, they could not sit for discussion when the country is full of violence and bloodshed.
Nationwide Clashes: Protests and incidents of violence have been reported in 26 districts, other than Dhaka. On Friday, two more deaths were confirmed by police, while it was reported that 100 officers sustained injuries on Thursday. Government buildings and vehicles are being torched; facilities belonging to state broadcaster BTV have been damaged in the unrest.
Mass protests continue unabated, and the challenge of restoring order makes the situation increasingly volatile for Bangladesh. A curfew imposed by the government, besides a military deployment across the capital, has been intended to contain the violence, yet the student demonstrators are not ready for anything less than restoration of a merit-based recruitment system.
