Student protests in Bangladesh resumed on Monday, July 29, as Prime Minister Sheikh Hassina refused to release the movement’s leaders or apologize for the victims. At least 205 people have been killed in the crackdown on student protests that erupted earlier this month. After cutting off the internet and declaring a nationwide curfew, the government has regained control of the situation, but student anger shows no sign of abating.
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Students of the Bangladesh protested again on Monday (July 29) after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government ignored an ultimatum seeking the release of their leaders and an apology for those killed in the recent unrest.
Several rallies took place in the capital Dhaka and elsewhere in Bangladesh, but on a smaller scale than those seen earlier this month. Police used batons to disperse a protest in the city’s suburbs, arresting at least 20 people, according to the leading daily, Prothom Alo.
Security forces have been deployed heavily in Dhaka, a megacity of 20 million people, to prevent further gatherings.
Fear has set in
A simple student just a few weeks ago, this young woman contacted by RFI assures us that she lives in a climate of permanent fear: “ I can’t go outside, I don’t feel safe. All students are in danger. They look at cell phones, go into houses to check the content of phones, search personal belongings. They arrest young people, both men and women. “.
But the harshness of the repression and the mounting deaths have partly strengthened the students’ determination, she says: ” The police, the raid and the army are killing people in front of our eyes. We see the lifeless bodies with our own eyes, we see how they are killing our brothers and sisters in struggle. We have no choice but to protest “.
Students even more determined
She explains that from now on, student organizations are calling on the rest of the population to come and join the movement: ” People of all ages, at all levels are concerned about the situation in our country. Everyone wants justice, the government must apologize for everything they have done to us. “.
In addition to the public apologies of the head of government Sheikh Hassinaprotesters are demanding the dismissal of several ministers and the reopening of schools and universities. The authorities have declared a day of national mourning for Tuesday, July 30.
Originally: quotas in the civil service
The protests began after the reintroduction in June of a system that reserved more than half of government jobs for certain candidates, including nearly a third for descendants of veterans of Bangladesh’s independence war. With about 18 million young Bangladeshis unemployed, according to government figures, the move has deeply upset graduates.
Student protests against government job quotas have left at least 205 people dead, including several police officers, according to an AFP tally based on police and hospital data. At least 9,000 people have been arrested across Bangladesh since the unrest began, according to Prothom Alo.
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