Universities in Bangladesh shut their doors and authorities raid opposition HQ after deadly protests

DHAKA, BANGLADESH: Several major universities in Bangladesh agreed to shut their doors on Wednesday after at least six people died in violent campus protests over the allocation of government jobs, police raided the main opposition party's headquarters, and student protesters announced a total shutdown of all but essential services.

After two days of clashes, the University Grants Commission urged all public and private universities to close until further notice, and about a dozen major public universities said they would, according to officials and media reports. Wednesday was a public holiday in Bangladesh, so the actual number of universities that closed was expected to become clearer on Thursday.

Among them was Dhaka University, which was at the centre of the violence. It has suspended classes and closed its dormitories indefinitely, a university official told The Associated Press, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to media.

On Wednesday, the protesters announced they would enforce "a complete shutdown" across the country on Thursday in response to security officials' continued attacks on the campus demonstrations.

Asif Mahmud, one of the protest organisers, said in a Facebook post that they would allow only hospitals and other emergency services to operate.

There was no immediate response from authorities to the protesters' plans.

Protesters are demanding an end to a quota system that reserves up to 30% of government jobs for family members of veterans who fought in Bangladesh's war of independence in 1971. They argue that the system is discriminatory and benefits supporters of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, whose Awami League party led the independence movement, and they want it replaced with a merit-based system.

Quotas were halted by a court order after mass student protests in 2018. But last month, Bangladesh's High Court nullified that decision, reinstating the system and triggering new demonstrations. That court order has since been suspended, but the protests continued, turning violent this week.

The clashes come months after Hasina held onto power in an election that was boycotted by opposition parties. Some opposition members were jailed ahead of the polls.

The protests began late last month but turned violent on Monday as protesters at Dhaka University clashed with police and counterprotesters organised by the student wing of the governing Awami League party, leaving 100 people injured. At least six people were killed on Tuesday in continued violence in the capital Dhaka, the southeastern city of Chattogram and the northern city of Rangpur, authorities said.

There were new clashes on Wednesday at Dhaka University, where police fired tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse protesters who carried empty coffins to represent the people killed, witnesses said. Paramilitary forces patrolled the streets of the capital and other big cities.

Police also clashed with BNP supporters in Dhaka after a funeral on Wednesday for the six people who died. Police official Sentu Mia said they used rubber bullets to disperse the protesters, saying they attacked police, and several opposition activists were arrested. BNP Secretary-General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir accused police of barring their supporters from the funeral prayers.

Bangladesh's ruling party blamed the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party for the chaos, and Dhaka police raided the party's headquarters overnight. Detective Chief Harun-or-Rashid said police arrested seven members of the party's student wing, whom they accused of setting fire to two buses on Tuesday. He said detectives found 100 crude bombs, 500 wooden and bamboo sticks, and five to six bottles of gasoline in the raid.

Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, a senior BNP leader, accused the government of "staging" the raid to divert attention from the protests.

Police fire tear gas shells and rubber bullets to disperse students shouting slogans in favour of quota system in public service at the university campus, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, Wednesday, July 17, 2024. Photo: AP via RSS

A senior leader of the ruling Awami League party said the opposition was using the protests as a weapon against Hasina. Obaidul Quader, the Awami League's general secretary and a senior Cabinet minister, said "evil forces" had taken over the student movement, blaming the student wings of the BNP and rightist Jamaat-e-Islami party for Tuesday's violence.

He urged the protesters to have patience until the country's Supreme Court hears petitions about the quota issues next month.

The quota system also reserves government jobs for women, people with disabilities and members of ethnic minorities, but protesters have only sought to end the quota for families of veterans. Protesters have said they are apolitical.

While job opportunities have expanded in Bangladesh's private sector, many people prefer government jobs because they are considered stable and high-paying. Each year, nearly 400,000 graduates compete for 3,000 such jobs in the civil service exam.

Last week, the Supreme Court suspended the order by the High Court that reinstated the quotas and the chief justice asked students to return to classes, but the protests continued.

Students clash over quota system at New market area of Dhaka, Bangladesh, on Tuesday, July 16, 2024. Photo: AP via RSS

Hasina defended the quotas on Tuesday, saying veterans deserve the highest respect for their sacrifice in 1971, regardless of their current political affiliation.

"Abandoning the dream of their own life, leaving behind their families, parents and everything, they joined the war with whatever they had," she said during an event at her office in Dhaka.

Her Awami League party, under her father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, led the independence war with the help of India. Rahman was assassinated along with many family members in a military coup in 1975.

By RSS/AP