Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina visits a vandalized metro rail station at Mirpur 10, in Dhaka.
| Photo Credit: PTI

Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina wept on July 25 as she surveyed the destruction wrought by days of deadly unrest, as student leaders weighed the future of the protests that sparked the disorder.

Last week’s violence killed at least 193 people, including several police officers, according to an AFP count of victims reported by police and hospitals, in one of the biggest upheavals of Ms. Hasina’s 15-year tenure.

The unrest was precipitated by protests against a public jobs quota scheme that critics say gives preference to allies of Ms. Hasina’s ruling party.

Thousands of troops are still patrolling cities and a nationwide internet shutdown remains largely in effect, although clashes have subsided since protest leaders announced a temporary halt to new demonstrations.

Ms. Hasina, 76, spent the morning surveying destruction in the capital Dhaka, where the commuter rail network connecting the sprawling megacity of 20 million people was shut down after mob attacks.

“Over 15 years, I’ve built this country,” she told reporters, condemning protesters for damaging city infrastructure. “What didn’t I do for the people?

“Who has benefitted from what we have done?” she said. “Do I ride on the metro? Does the government only ride? Do our ministers only ride? Or is it in fact the general public that rides?”

Pictures released by Hasina’s office showed her flanked by an entourage and weeping at the sight of a vandalised metro station in an outlying Dhaka suburb.

The station was among several government buildings and dozens of police posts torched or vandalised during the unrest.

With calm returning to cities around Bangladesh, Ms. Hasina’s government ordered another relaxation to the curfew it imposed at the weekend to allow free movement between 10:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.

Streets in Dhaka were choked with commuter traffic in the morning, days after ferocious clashes between police and protesters had left them almost deserted.

Banks, government offices and Bangladesh’s economically vital garment factories reopened on July 24 after they were closed last week.

Student leaders were set to meet later on July 25 to decide whether to again extend their protest moratorium, which is due to expire on July 26.

Students Against Discrimination, the group responsible for organising this month’s rallies, said it expected the government to make some concessions.

“We demand an apology from Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to the nation for the mass murder of students,” Asif Mahmud, one of the group’s coordinators, told AFP.

“We also want the sacking of the home minister and education minister.”

Youth jobs crisis

Police told AFP they had arrested at least 4,000 people since last week, including 2,500 in Dhaka.

U.N. rights chief Volker Turk urged Bangladesh to conduct “an impartial, independent and transparent investigation” into the violence.

“We understand that many people were subjected to violent attacks by groups reportedly affiliated with the Government, and no effort was made to protect them,” he said in a statement.

Protests began after the reintroduction in June of a scheme reserving more than half of government jobs for certain candidates, including nearly a third for descendants of veterans from Bangladesh’s independence war.

With around 18 million young people in Bangladesh out of work, according to government figures, the move deeply upset graduates facing an acute jobs crisis.

Critics say the quota is used to stack public jobs with loyalists to Ms. Hasina’s Awami League.

The Supreme Court cut the number of reserved jobs on July 21 but fell short of protesters’ demands to scrap the quotas entirely.

Ms. Hasina has ruled Bangladesh since 2009 and won her fourth consecutive election in January after a vote without genuine opposition.

Her government is also accused by rights groups of misusing state institutions to entrench its hold on power and stamp out dissent, including the extrajudicial killing of opposition activists.

New Delhi:

Violence in Bangladesh has left over 130 dead as students demand reforms to a quota system governing the allocation of government jobs in the country. The protests intensified following Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s controversial remarks, where she labelled the protestors as “Razakars”. This term, historically loaded and carrying a negative connotation, harks back to the East Pakistani volunteer force that opposed the creation of Bangladesh as a sovereign nation during its 1971 War of Independence.

The Spark

The protests, which began late last month, reached a boiling point earlier this week when student activists at Dhaka University, the largest university in the country, engaged in violent clashes with police and counter-protesters aligned with the ruling Awami League.

The controversial quota system reserves up to 30 per cent of government jobs for family members of veterans who fought in Bangladesh’s 1971 war of independence against Pakistan. Protesters argue that this system is discriminatory and disproportionately benefits supporters of Prime Minister Hasina’s Awami League party. They advocate for a merit-based system to replace the existing quota. Prime Minister Hasina’s fiery remarks at a public gathering ignited further protests.

“If not the grandchildren of the freedom fighters, then who will get quota benefits? The grandchildren of the ‘Razakars’?” the Bangladeshi PM asked. “This is my question. I want to ask the people of the nation. If the protesters don’t comply, I can do nothing. They can continue their protest. If protesters damage properties or attack cops, the law will take its course. We can’t help.”

PM Hasina’s intent was to highlight the importance of preserving benefits for the descendants of those who fought for Bangladesh’s independence. However, the term “Razakar” struck a raw nerve. It is a term that conjures up memories of widespread violence from the 1971 War of Independence, during which the “Razakars” collaborated with the Pakistani army against the Bengali nationalist movement.

Historical Context Of The Term “Razakar”

The “Razakars” were a paramilitary force recruited by the Pakistani army during the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War. Comprised primarily of pro-Pakistani Bengalis and Urdu-speaking Biharis, the “Razakars” were involved in numerous atrocities, including mass killings, rapes, and torture. The 1971 war saw immense suffering, with estimates of civilian deaths ranging from 300,000 to 3 million. The scars of these events are still evident in the national psyche.

In 2010, Prime Minister Hasina’s government established the International Crimes Tribunal to prosecute those accused of war crimes during the 1971 conflict. This move was part of her strategy to address historical injustices and was widely seen as a fulfilment of her party’s electoral promises. The tribunal has since convicted several individuals, predominantly from the now-banned Jamaat-e-Islami party.

In December 2019, the government published a list of 10,789 individuals identified as “Razakars”, marking the first official recognition of these collaborators. This list included prominent figures and was intended to ensure that future generations understand the historical context of their actions.

The Contentious Quota System

The current protests are rooted in the quota system for government jobs, which allocates significant portions to descendants of freedom fighters. This system, established in 1972 and abolished briefly in 2018 before being reinstated, has been a source of contention. Critics argue that it disproportionately benefits Awami League supporters and limits opportunities for other qualified candidates.

“They are protesting against the repressive nature of the state,” said Mubashar Hasan, a Bangladesh expert at the University of Oslo in Norway, as quoted by news agency AFP. “Protesters are questioning Hasina’s leadership, accusing her of clinging onto power by force. The students are in fact calling her a dictator.”

Student protests against the quota system have a history in Bangladesh. The latest wave began after the decision to reinstate the system, which was followed by the Supreme Court suspending the order pending a government appeal. This legal limbo has left many students frustrated, feeling that their demands for a merit-based system are being ignored.

The students’ grievances extend beyond the quota system. High youth unemployment and a stagnant economy have all contributed to a sense of frustration and despair. Public sector jobs, with their regular wages and benefits, are highly coveted in a country where economic opportunities are limited.