News
Reuters
DHAKA, July 21 (Reuters) - Bangladesh extended a curfew on Sunday to control violent student-led protests that have killed at least 114 people, as authorities braced for a Supreme Court hearing later in the day on government job quotas that sparked the anger.
Soldiers have been on patrol on the streets of capital Dhaka, the centre of the demonstrations that spiralled into clashes between protesters and security forces.
Internet and text message services in Bangladesh have been suspended since Thursday, cutting the nation off as police cracked down on protesters who defied a ban on public gatherings.
Independent
Bangladesh has imposed a national curfew and the army has been deployed after 105 people died in the bloodiest protests for a decade, after student protesters stormed a prison and freed inmates.
A communication blackout has been in place since Thursday, including the suspension of mobile data and text message services, as prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s government faces one of the sternest tests of her 15 years in power.
Streets that have witnessed the most violent scenes of clashes between students and security forces were deserted on Saturday as soldiers patrolled following the week-long unrest.
Amnesty International
Taqbir Huda
Bangladeshi authorities used unlawful force against student protesters and failed to ensure their protection during the ongoing ‘Bangla-Blockade’ quota-reform protest across the country, said Amnesty International today.
Witness testimonies, video and photographic evidence analysed and authenticated by Amnesty International and its Crisis Evidence Lab confirm the use of unlawful force by the police against student protesters. Further witness testimonies confirm the continuation of a multi-year pattern of violence against protesters, allegedly committed by members of the Bangladesh Chatra League (BCL), a group affiliated with the ruling party.
The Economist
INDIA reserves a share of jobs in government for people of particular castes. In Bangladesh, the dividing line is history. The ruling Awami League, which led the country’s independence movement, reserves 30% of public posts for descendants of those who fought in the war of secession from Pakistan in 1971 (a further 26% go to other groups). Students, who have been agitating for reform since February, want 90% of public posts to be awarded on merit. On April 11th Sheikh Hasina Wajed, the prime minister, faced with a spiralling series of demonstrations and sit-ins, appeared to accede to their demands, promising to abolish all the quotas. But there has been no official follow-up, and supporters of the quotas are now planning counter-demonstrations.
The Diplomat
The quota reform movement in Bangladesh has rocked and shocked the whole nation due to the massive crackdown on the protesters by law enforcement forces and the ruling Awami League’s student wing, known as the Bangladesh Chhatra League. Even I, thousands of miles away from Bangladesh, could not sleep the whole night of July 18-19.
Messages and calls from my students constantly hooked me to my phone long into the night. They messaged me, asking me to write about the protests, to stand up for them and their rights. Some cried, asking rhetorically: “Is this the independent Bangladesh?” Several students wrote Facebook posts to me, saying “We are scared and feeling helpless.”
However, everything seemed to stop after 2.00 a.m. Australian Eastern Standard Time, or 10.00 p.m. in Bangladesh. I rushed to check and learned that the government had shut down the mobile network and internet connection countrywide. It remains so as of this writing.
BBC NEWS
Schools and universities across Bangladesh have been shut until further notice after six people were killed in protests over quotas in government jobs.
University students have been holding rallies for days against the system of reserving some public sector jobs for the relatives of war heroes, who fought for the country’s independence from Pakistan in 1971.
Some jobs are also reserved for women, ethnic minorities and the disabled.
A third of posts are kept for the family members of those categorised as war heroes. The students argue that the system is discriminatory, and they want recruitment based on merit.
Several cities, including the capital Dhaka, this week witnessed clashes between supporters of the anti-quota movement and their opponents, particularly the student wing of the governing Awami League known as the Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL).