Six students were killed during protests in Bangladesh against the quota system in government jobs. In response, the government has ordered schools and universities nationwide to close indefinitely.
The clashes on Tuesday prompted the education ministry to mandate the shutdown for “the security of the students,” said spokesman M A Khair. The order was extended to universities, where most protestors are enrolled.
The protests, defying calls from Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and the supreme court to return to class, saw demonstrators mobilizing in cities across the country.Three students were killed in Chittagong, with signs of bullet injuries, and 35 others were injured, according to hospital director Mohammad Taslim Uddin. In Dhaka, two students died amid clashes where rival groups hurled bricks and blocked key roads, confirmed police inspector Bacchu Mia. An additional 60 people were injured in the capital.
In Rangpur, a student died during clashes where police used rubber bullets and tear gas to disperse protestors. Rangpur Medical College hospital director Yunus Ali stated, “The student was brought dead to the hospital by other students.”
Tauhidul Haque Siam, a student reporter, recounted the violence in Rangpur, and said, “Police opened fire from their shotguns on the protesters,” and confirmed that the deceased student was “killed in the firing,” though this account couldn’t be independently verified.
In response to escalating violence and road blockades, the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) force was deployed in five major cities, including Dhaka and Chittagong.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged the Bangladeshi government “to protect the demonstrators against any form of threat or violence,” highlighting the fundamental right to peaceful demonstration.
Tuesday’s violence followed confrontations the previous day between anti-quota demonstrators and members of the ruling Awami League’s student wing, resulting in over 400 injuries in Dhaka. “We are not here to do violence,” a protester in Dhaka told AFP. “We simply want our rights. But the ruling party goons are attacking our peaceful protests.”
The protests demand an end to a quota system reserving more than half of civil service posts for specific groups, including children of veterans from the 1971 liberation war. Critics argue the system benefits children of pro-government groups supporting Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
Amnesty International has called on Bangladesh to “immediately guarantee the safety of all peaceful protesters.” The US State Department also condemned the “violence against peaceful protesters,” drawing a rebuke from Bangladesh’s foreign ministry.
The clashes on Tuesday prompted the education ministry to mandate the shutdown for “the security of the students,” said spokesman M A Khair. The order was extended to universities, where most protestors are enrolled.
The protests, defying calls from Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and the supreme court to return to class, saw demonstrators mobilizing in cities across the country.Three students were killed in Chittagong, with signs of bullet injuries, and 35 others were injured, according to hospital director Mohammad Taslim Uddin. In Dhaka, two students died amid clashes where rival groups hurled bricks and blocked key roads, confirmed police inspector Bacchu Mia. An additional 60 people were injured in the capital.
In Rangpur, a student died during clashes where police used rubber bullets and tear gas to disperse protestors. Rangpur Medical College hospital director Yunus Ali stated, “The student was brought dead to the hospital by other students.”
Tauhidul Haque Siam, a student reporter, recounted the violence in Rangpur, and said, “Police opened fire from their shotguns on the protesters,” and confirmed that the deceased student was “killed in the firing,” though this account couldn’t be independently verified.
In response to escalating violence and road blockades, the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) force was deployed in five major cities, including Dhaka and Chittagong.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres urged the Bangladeshi government “to protect the demonstrators against any form of threat or violence,” highlighting the fundamental right to peaceful demonstration.
Tuesday’s violence followed confrontations the previous day between anti-quota demonstrators and members of the ruling Awami League’s student wing, resulting in over 400 injuries in Dhaka. “We are not here to do violence,” a protester in Dhaka told AFP. “We simply want our rights. But the ruling party goons are attacking our peaceful protests.”
The protests demand an end to a quota system reserving more than half of civil service posts for specific groups, including children of veterans from the 1971 liberation war. Critics argue the system benefits children of pro-government groups supporting Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
Amnesty International has called on Bangladesh to “immediately guarantee the safety of all peaceful protesters.” The US State Department also condemned the “violence against peaceful protesters,” drawing a rebuke from Bangladesh’s foreign ministry.