On Saturday, armed forces patrolled the deserted streets of Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, as protests led by students against the government’s public service exam quotas resulted in at least 114 deaths this week. The government ordered all government and private offices and institutions across the country to remain closed for two days.
According to Reuters, hospital data showed that the protests led to at least 114 deaths, with sporadic clashes in parts of Dhaka on Saturday resulting in at least 4 more deaths.
Given the situation in the country, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government declared Sunday and Monday as “public holidays,” allowing only emergency service agencies to operate.
Authorities have shut down universities and colleges since last Wednesday.
Student demonstrators expressed anger over the government’s public service exam quota system, leading to nationwide unrest. Currently, 56% of government jobs are reserved for specific groups, with the largest proportion (30%) reserved for descendants of freedom fighters who participated in the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War. Other specified groups include women, ethnic minorities, and residents from socio-economically disadvantaged areas.
The quota system has long been criticized for excluding other qualified candidates and creating job vacancies if designated candidates fail recruitment tests.
This protest is the largest since Hasina’s fourth consecutive term as prime minister this year. The unemployment rate among Bangladesh’s nearly one-fifth youthful population is high.
Internet and SMS services in Bangladesh have been suspended since last Thursday, causing a nationwide paralysis. Overseas calls mostly go unanswered, and Bangladeshi media websites remain unable to update, with their social media accounts inactive.
Reuters reported that John Heidemann, Chief Scientist of USC Viterbi’s Information Sciences Institute, said, “Cutting off the internet for a country with nearly 170 million people is an extreme move that we haven’t seen since the 2011 Egyptian revolution.”
Various hospitals across Bangladesh reported thousands injured in the clashes. Dhaka Medical College Hospital received 27 bodies between 5 and 7 pm local time on Friday.
As of Friday, in addition to the previously reported 75 deaths, an additional 6 deaths were recorded in the northern city of Rangpur.
Over the past week, police have used tear gas, rubber bullets, and flash-bang grenades to disperse demonstrators throwing bricks and burning vehicles.
With the rising death toll, police and other security forces have been unable to control the protests. Authorities have imposed a nationwide curfew and deployed the military, with orders to shoot if necessary.
Prime Minister’s press secretary Nayeemul Islam Khan was quoted by AFP as saying, “Due to the current situation,” the Prime Minister had canceled visits to Spain and Brazil.
The US State Department condemned the violence. State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel said last Thursday in Washington, “We must uphold all forms of freedom of speech and ensure people are not subjected to violence.”