Smoke rises from the burning vehicles after protesters set them on fire near the Disaster Management Directorate office, during the ongoing anti-quota protest in Dhaka on July 18, 2024. 
| Photo Credit: AFP

The High Commission of India has cautioned Indian citizens and students in Bangladesh to “minimise” their movement beyond their “living premises”. Thursday’s cautionary note came against the backdrop of day long clashes between the police, and students and political activists who have been demanding an end to quotas in government jobs.

As part of the crackdown, Bangladeshi authorities blocked mobile internet on Thursday evening.

The Indian government has not made any official statement on the protests, which began last week and became one of the factors behind Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina cutting short her visit to China.

‘BTV staffers trapped’

Protesters also surrounded and set fire to one of the major broadcasting units of State-run Bangladesh TV (BTV) in Dhaka. Local sources said that several BTV staffers were inside the television station at the time.

In a Facebook post, BTV announced, “Dangerous fire in BTV spreading fast. Seeking quick response of the fire department. A large number of people are trapped inside.” The condition of the staffers in the BTV station in Rampura remained unknown till Thursday evening as the state broadcaster went off the air and internet connectivity slowed down in Dhaka.

According to German State-run media DW, at least 19 people were killed in the clashes on Thursday.

Anti-quota protests

Protesters have been seeking equal opportunities for government jobs in Bangladesh, where special quotas are reserved for the veterans of the War of Liberation, minorities, and tribal communities. The protesters claim that a bulk of government employment is being denied to eligible candidates because of this quota system. The confrontation, which has been brewing for several weeks, erupted last week as the government initially showed an inflexible attitude. After the latest clashes, however, Bangladeshi Law Minister Anisul Huq declared that the Sheikh Hasina government was ready to hold a dialogue with the protesters.

In the meantime, Hasnat Abdullah, one of the notable figures in the anti-quota protest, indicated a hardening of the activists’ position. “No dialogue while bloodshed continues,” he said in a Facebook post. In the absence of the State broadcaster and erratic internet connections, rumours have been spreading fast about people who are unaccounted for or are unreachable by mobile phone.

The protest has come as a surprise for the Sheikh Hasina government that returned to power for the fourth successive term in January, after a controversial election boycotted by the chief Opposition, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party. The BNP has displayed sympathy for the protesters, blaming the government for high inflation and unemployment.

Support for Indians

India has a sizable number of citizens who study and work in various sectors of the Bangladesh economy. During the COVID-19 pandemic, India had to evacuate its citizens when Dhaka and other Bangladeshi cities had declared lockdowns.

Those seeking consular support may contact the High Commission of India in Dhaka at +880-1937400591 (also available on Whatsapp); and the Assistant High Commissions at Chittagong (+880-1814654797), Rajshahi (+880-1788148696, also on Whatsapp), Sylhet (+880-1313076411), and Khulna (+880-1812817799).

Students block a rail track as they protest to demand a merit-based system for civil service jobs in Dhaka on July 10, 2024.
| Photo Credit: AFP

Bangladesh’s top court on July 10 temporarily suspended quotas for coveted government jobs after thousands of students staged nationwide protests against what they call a discriminatory system, lawyers said.

The quota system reserves more than half of well-paid and massively over-subscribed civil service posts, totalling hundreds of thousands of government jobs, for specific groups including children of liberation heroes.

Students launched protests earlier this month, demanding a merit-based system, with demonstrations on Wednesday blocking highways and railway lines.

“We will not return to classrooms until our demand is met,” protest leader Rasel Ahmed of Chittagong University told AFP.

The quota system was abolished in 2018 after weeks of protests, but reinstated in June by Dhaka’s High Court, sparking fury from students.

The Supreme Court on Wednesday suspended that order for a month, said lawyer Shah Monjurul Hoque, who represents two students seeking to end the quota system.

Mr. Hoque said that Chief Justice Obaidul Hassan had also requested that students return to class.

Despite the call, student groups continued to block key highways and railway tracks, bringing traffic movement in much of the capital Dhaka and several major cities to a halt.

“This (court) order is temporary. We want a permanent executive order from the government, saying that the quotas are abolished, except some quotas for the disabled and minorities,” said Parvez Mosharraf, a student at Dhaka University.

He was among dozens of students who laid timber logs on a railway track at Dhaka’s Karwan Bazar, forcing the halt of train services connecting the capital to northern Bangladesh.

‘Limited number of jobs’

The quota system reserves 30% of government posts for children of those who fought to win Bangladeshi independence in 1971, 10% for women, and 10% for residents of specific districts.

Students said only those quotas supporting ethnic minorities and disabled people — 6% of jobs — should remain.

“We don’t also want the job quotas for women because women are no longer lagging behind,” female student Meena Rani Das, 22, said.

“Women are marching ahead with their talents. But the quota system is creating obstacles and snatching our rights.”

Critics say the system benefits children of pro-government groups, who back Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Her father, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, was Bangladesh’s founding leader.

Ms. Hasina, 76, won her fourth consecutive general election in January, in a vote without genuine opposition parties, with a widespread boycott and a major crackdown against her political opponents.

Critics accuse Bangladeshi courts of rubber-stamping decisions made by her government.

Ms. Hasina has condemned the protests, saying the matter had been settled by the court.

“Students are wasting their time,” Ms. Hasina said on Sunday, adding there was “no justification for the anti-quota movement”.

Thousands of students on Wednesday threw up barricades across key intersections in Dhaka, as well as blocking major highways connecting the capital to other cities, police said.

Hemayetul Islam, deputy police chief in the northwestern city of Rajshahi said that “at least 200 students” blocked the highway to Dhaka.

“Brilliant students no longer get the jobs they want because of this quota system,” said Halimatuz Sadia, a protester and physics student at Chittagong University.

“You work hard only to find out that there are only a limited number of jobs available,” she added.