Bangladesh: Mass Violent Protests Over Government Job Quotas Rock Bangladesh

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — Bangladesh has been gripped by violence this week after relentless clashes between student protesters, security officials, and pro-government student activists over a quota system for government jobs.

Mass Protest organizers have announced a "complete shutdown" across Bangladesh on Thursday, excluding essential services. This decision follows several major universities' moves to shut their doors indefinitely until tensions subside.

What’s Happened So Far?

The protests, which have drawn tens of thousands to the streets, began late last month. Tensions escalated on Monday when student activists at Dhaka University, the country’s largest, clashed with police and counter-protesters backed by the ruling Awami League. At least 100 people were injured in the aftermath.

The next day, six people were killed as violence continued to roil campuses across Bangladesh. More clashes were reported on Wednesday and Thursday, with paramilitary forces deployed to patrol the streets of major cities. Media reports stated that at least 19 more people died on Thursday.

In response, major universities announced closures until the situation is resolved to protect students.

Why Are They Protesting?

At the heart of the demonstrations is a quota system that reserves up to 30% of government jobs for family members of veterans who fought in Bangladesh’s 1971 war of independence against Pakistan.

Protesters want to abolish this system, which they claim is discriminatory and benefits supporters of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League party, which led the independence movement. They seek a merit-based system instead.

Despite growth in private sector job opportunities, many prefer government jobs due to their perceived stability and lucrative benefits. However, the competition is intense, with around 400,000 graduates vying for approximately 3,000 civil service exam positions each year.

While the quota system also reserves jobs for women, disabled people, and ethnic minorities, the protests primarily target jobs reserved for veterans’ families.

What Does the Government Say?

Prime Minister Hasina has defended the quota system, asserting that veterans deserve the highest respect for their contributions during the war, regardless of political affiliation.

Her government has accused the main opposition parties, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and the right-wing Jamaat-e-Islami party, of fueling chaos. The BNP has backed the students’ calls for the shutdown on Thursday.

On Wednesday, authorities raided the BNP headquarters and arrested several activists from the party’s student wing.

The clashes follow months after Hasina maintained power in an election boycotted by opposition parties, with opposition members jailed ahead of the polls.

Why Are the Students Protesting Now?

This isn’t the first uproar over this issue. In 2018, Hasina’s government halted the quotas after mass student protests. However, the High Court nullified that decision last month and reinstated the quotas following petitions from relatives of the 1971 veterans, sparking the latest round of protests. The Supreme Court suspended that decision and promised to rule on the issue on August 7. Despite this, the protests have persisted.

“I am requesting all to wait with patience until the verdict is delivered,” Hasina said in a televised address Wednesday evening. “I believe our students will get justice from the apex court. They will not be disappointed.”

What Could Happen Next?

The furor has highlighted cracks in Bangladesh’s governance and economy following the pandemic and the global upheavals of wars in Ukraine and Gaza, reflecting a lack of good quality jobs available for young graduates.

“The reason behind such huge participation is that many students go through the bitter experience of not finding the jobs they deserve after completing their education,” wrote Anu Muhammad, a former economics professor and analyst, in the Dhaka-based Daily Star newspaper. “In addition, rampant corruption and irregularities in government job recruitment exams and selection processes have created immense frustration and anger.”

“The country’s economy shows growth, but jobs are not being created,” he wrote.

Hasnat Abdullah, a protest coordinator, said the students want to return to classes but will do so once their demands are met.

On Thursday afternoon, Bangladesh’s Law Minister Anisul Huq stated that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had asked him to sit with the protesters for a dialogue and that he was ready to sit down on Thursday if protesters were willing.