At least five people killed in anti-quota protests in Bangladesh | Protest news

Protesters are demanding an end to the program, which gives priority to the families of veterans of the 1971 War of Independence.

At least five people have been killed in violent clashes between rival student groups over quotas for coveted government jobs in Bangladesh, police officials said.

On Tuesday, thousands of riot police patrolled university campuses across the country to prevent violence. Police said they used tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse demonstrations in Rangpur, in northwestern Bangladesh.

“We had to use rubber bullets and tear gas to disperse the rebellious students who were throwing stones at us,” said Mohammad Moniruzzaman, police commissioner of Rangpur city.

“We heard that a protesting student died after being taken to hospital. It was not immediately clear how he died,” he added.

Three people were also killed in the port city of Chittagong.

“All three had gunshot wounds,” Mohammad Taslim Uddin, director of Chittagong Medical College Hospital, told AFP.

“About 35 people were injured,” Uddin added.

In addition, police commissioner Mohammad Moniruzzaman in the northern city of Rangpur told AFP that a student had been killed in clashes.

Yunus Ali, hospital director of Rangpur Medical College, said the “student was brought to the hospital dead by other students,” adding that “his body bore injury marks.”

Students in Dhaka are demanding the abolition of the quota for family members of veterans who fought in Bangladesh’s 1971 War of Independence, which allows them to fill 30 percent of government jobs.

On Tuesday, protesters gathered outside the official residence of the university’s vice-chancellor, accusing the Bangladesh Chhatra League, a student wing of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s ruling Awami League party, of attacking their “peaceful protests.”

According to local media reports, police and the student wing supported by the ruling party attacked the protesters.

Tens of thousands of students took part in nationwide protests after more than 100 people were injured on Monday. In some areas, including Dhaka, there were also clashes between protesters and students loyal to the Awami League, as students blocked major highways and rail links.

In Bangladesh, 56 percent of government jobs are subject to various quotas. 10 percent of the positions are reserved for women, 10 percent are for people from underdeveloped districts, 5 percent for indigenous communities and 1 percent for people with disabilities.

While employment opportunities in the country’s private sector have increased, many people find public sector jobs stable and lucrative, with nearly 400,000 graduates entering about 3,000 positions each year.

However, protesters argue that the appointment quotas are discriminatory and should be based on merit. Some even said the current system favors groups that support Hasina.

Hasina said on Tuesday that war veterans should be given the utmost respect for their sacrifice in 1971, regardless of their current political ideology.

“They gave up their life’s dream, left their families, parents and everything else behind and went to war with everything they had,” she said during an event at her office in Dhaka.

The Prime Minister also referred to those opposing the quota as “Razakars”, a term used to describe people who are accused of collaborating with the Pakistani army during the 1971 war.

The quota was abolished by court order following mass student protests in 2018. But last month the Supreme Court overturned the decision to reinstate the system, angering students and sparking new demonstrations.

Last week, the Supreme Court stayed the High Court order for four weeks. The chief justice asked the protesting students to return to classes and said the court would give a decision in four weeks.