Violent clashes between police and student protesters in Bangladesh this week have reportedly killed at least a dozen people and injured hundreds more, with police moving to restore order as demonstrators call for a “complete shutdown” of the capital city of Dhaka. The protests began last month when the country’s High Court reinstated a quota system reserving up to 30 percent of government jobs for family members of veterans of Bangladesh’s war for independence against Pakistan in 1971. This decision, which protesters say is discriminatory and only benefits supporters of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s ruling Awami League party, comes as record unemployment has left nearly one-fifth of the country’s 170 million people without work.
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After weeks of simmering tensions, the protests escalated dramatically on Monday when student activists at Dhaka University clashed with police and counter-protesters in an incident that injured over 100 people. Additional college campuses joined in, with several major universities shutting their doors indefinitely until the job quota is replaced with a merit-based system.
Though private sector jobs have increased in Bangladesh in recent years, government jobs are widely seen as the more stable and lucrative option, leading to fierce competition for positions. Every year, more than 400,000 college graduates compete for roughly 3,000 jobs via a civil service exam. The quota system also has carveouts for women, disabled people, and ethnic minorities, but protesters primarily object to the veteran requirements.
As police attempt to quell the riots, the US Embassy in Dhaka said it would close on Thursday, advising American citizens to avoid large gatherings.
Connor Walcott is a staff writer for Valuetainment.com. Follow Connor on X and look for him on VT’s “The Unusual Suspects.”
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