1 more killed in clashes with police amid nationwide strike in Bangladesh over job quota system

By SM Najmus Sakib

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AA) – A teenager was killed in a fresh clash with police in Dhaka on Thursday, as students demanding reforms to the public jobs quota system began a nationwide "complete shutdown" to protest law enforcement attacks on campuses in the capital and across Bangladesh.

The government has also deployed paramilitary troops to maintain law and order across the country, with over 7,000 soldiers stationed in major cities where police and protesters have clashed in the past three days.

Thousands of students have been demonstrating after a court reinstated quotas for government jobs, which were abolished in 2018.

Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) said in a statement on Thursday that 229 paramilitary platoons have been deployed across the country, including Dhaka, to maintain law and order.

Earlier, Bacchu Mia, the in-charge of the Dhaka Medical College Hospital police outpost, confirmed to the media that the 18-year-old young man was killed in clashes between protesters demanding reforms to the quota system in government jobs and police in Dhaka's Jatrabari neighborhood early Thursday, bringing the total number of deaths to seven since Tuesday.

Witness testimonies, video and photographic evidence analyzed and authenticated by Amnesty International and its Crisis Evidence Lab confirm the use of unlawful force by the police against student protesters.

Amnesty International said in a statement Wednesday night that additional witness testimonies confirm the continuation of a multi-year pattern of violence against protesters allegedly committed by members of the Bangladesh Chatra League (BCL), a group affiliated with the ruling party.

During the shutdown strike, commuters in Dhaka have reported fewer public transportation options, with many people walking to their destinations. Some commuters have complained about taxi and auto-rickshaw owners charging them too much.

Hundreds of vehicles are still stuck on the Dhaka-Chattagram highway, a major road communication route, during the shutdown.

Despite the government's announcement of a judicial probe, the situation in the country remains tense, with seven people killed during violent protests against the quota system in the public jobs sector.

Clashes began when protesters refused to leave a student dormitory after the government closed campuses. They also have rejected Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's call to return home.

On Wednesday, Hasina agreed to form a judicial committee to investigate the deaths during the protests.

- Disruption in mobile phone services

People are having trouble accessing mobile phone internet networks as social media floods with footage of clashes and protests on campuses, including Dhaka and Jahangirnagar.

Nasiruddin Milton, a resident of the northern Rangpur district where a student was killed by police on Tuesday, told Anadolu over the phone that he is having trouble accessing the internet.

"I was also unable to access Facebook to stay up to date on the situation unfolding across the country,” he added.

Almost identical circumstances exist in Dhaka.

However, the Bangladesh Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (BTRC) claimed that the authority has not issued any instructions to internet service providers.

BTRC Commissioner Sheikh Reaz Ahmed told Anadolu that the authority has not ordered mobile phone service providers to shut down internet services.

He claimed that he is unaware of reports of network outages and limited access to social media platforms across the country.