Student dies in anti-quota protest in Bangladesh

By SM Najmus Sakib

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AA) – One person was killed on Tuesday during an ongoing student protest against the quota system in public service jobs in Bangladesh, according to a police official.

Abu Sayeed, 25, one of the coordinators and a student at Begum Rokeya University in the southern Rangour district, was killed during clashes with the police, additional commissioner Uttam Kumar Pal told Anadolu.

Many more were injured, the official said, adding that 22 police personnel were also wounded and the situation remains volatile.

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

The system reserves 56% of government job entry positions for certain demographics and classes. Of the current 56% quota, 30% of all jobs in the public sector are reserved for the families of those who participated in the 1971 liberation war.

The students are demanding that quotas for civil service jobs be abolished and given to candidates based on merit.

The peaceful protests turned violent on Monday when members of the student wing of the ruling Awami League party allegedly attacked demonstrators, leaving over 200 injured.

Dhaka Medical College Hospital Director Md. Asaduzzaman said 234 students were treated for injuries, while eight of them were admitted to hospitals.

Following violent clashes overnight, students blocked major roads and railway lines across the capital Dhaka, and brought it to a standstill.

Tamikul Islam, sub-inspector at Banani police station, told Anadolu that students blocked roads and railways in the Mohakhali neighborhood, disrupting traffic movement.

Students in some other cities also staged similar protests.

- Tensions with US

Dhaka also criticized the US over "unverified" claims that two people had died during student protests in the country.

US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller on Monday said Washington was aware of the student protests in Bangladesh that “killed two and attacked and injured hundreds.”

The Bangladeshi Foreign Ministry expressed its "disappointment" over the comment, saying that "the use of unverified information to make such baseless claims can fuel violence and undermine the Bangladesh government’s efforts to maintain a peaceful environment for non-violent protests or movements."