Bangladesh Protest: Here's Why Students Are Taking to the Streets Again

Protesters blame Hasina’s government for the violence during the July protests. Hasina’s critics and rights groups have accused her government of using excessive force against protesters, a charge the government denies (Photo: PTI)

3 minutes to read Last update : 05 August 2024 | 14:40 IST

Bangladesh is again under fire, with nearly 100 people killed on Sunday as protesters demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina clashed with security forces and supporters of the ruling party.

Last month, at least 150 people were killed and thousands injured in violence sparked by student groups protesting against reserved quotas in government jobs.

Here are details on the new protests and their history:

Call for Hasina to resign

The group Students Against Discrimination, which spearheaded last month’s protests over job quotas, is leading the latest demonstrations.

Protests to reform the quota system ended after the Supreme Court struck down most of the quotas on July 21. However, the protesters returned last week demanding a public apology from Hasina for the violence, the restoration of internet connections, the reopening of college and university campuses and the release of those arrested.

By the end of the week, the demonstrations had turned into a campaign to oust Hasina, as protesters demanded justice for those killed last month.

The student group has called for a nationwide non-cooperation movement from Sunday with a single-point agenda – Hasina must resign.

Why do the protesters want Hasina’s resignation?

Protesters blame Hasina’s government for the violence during the July protests. Hasina’s critics and rights groups have accused her government of using excessive force against protesters, a charge the government denies.

What did Hasina say recently?

Hasina, 76, and her government initially said the students were not involved in violence during the quota protests and blamed the Islamic party, Jamaat-e-Islami, and Bangladesh’s main nationalist party ( BNP), of the opposition, for clashes and arson.

But after violence erupted again on Sunday, Hasina said “those who commit violence are not students but terrorists who want to destabilize the nation”.

The student group declined Hasina’s offer to hold talks to resolve the crisis.

What sparked the job quota protests?

Demonstrations began on university campuses in June after the High Court reinstated a quota system for government jobs, overturning a 2018 decision by Hasina’s government to scrap it.

The Supreme Court stayed the high court’s order after the government’s appeal and then last month set aside the lower court’s order, saying 93% of the jobs should be open to meritorious candidates.

Declining economy, unemployment

Experts also attribute the current unrest in Bangladesh to stagnant private sector job growth, which makes public sector jobs with their regular pay rises and perks very attractive.

The quotas have sparked anger among students facing high youth unemployment, as nearly 32 million young people are out of work or unemployed in a population of 170 million.

The faltering economy, once among the world’s fastest growing on the back of the country’s booming apparel sector, has stagnated. Inflation is around 10% per year and dollar reserves are shrinking.

Hasina wins the January elections

Hasina retained power for a fourth consecutive term in January general elections boycotted by the BNP, which accused her Awami League of trying to legitimize fake elections.

The BNP said 10 million party workers were on the run ahead of the election and nearly 25,000 were arrested following deadly anti-government protests on October 28. Hasina blamed the BNP for instigating the anti-government protests that rocked Dhaka ahead of the election and left at least. 10 people dead.

(Only the title and image of this report may have been redesigned by Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is automatically generated from a syndicated feed.)

First publication: 05 August 2024 | 14:39 IST

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