Bangladesh Student Protests Turn Deadly, Telecoms Disrupted, Websites Hacked
Three people were killed in Bangladesh on Friday as officials crack down on student-led protests against government job quotas.
July 19, 2024
Turmoil in Bangladesh has erupted over growing frustration of young graduates who face entering a challenging workforce in a struggling economy. Rates of unemployment among young people, who make up nearly a fifth of a population of 170 million, remain high at nearly 41 percent. In this context, Bangladesh student protests were initially sparked over outrage against quotas which set aside 30% of highly sought after government jobs for the families of those who fought for independence from Pakistan, according to AP.
Since then, authorities have deployed both police and paramilitary forces across Bangladesh, locking down all university campuses in order to stymie protests. According to the Globe and Mail, Wednesday universities suspended classes and closed dormitories, and on Friday Dhaka, the Capital of Bangladesh, police forces instituted a ban on all public gatherings. Protests continue despite this ban.
Anu Muhammad, a former economics professor and analyst, wrote in the Daily Star, a Dhaka-based publication, “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…rampant corruption and irregularities in government job recruitment exams and selection processes have created immense frustration and anger.”
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has defended the quotas saying that “veterans deserve the highest respect for their contributions to the war regardless of their political affiliation” per the AP.
According to reports from Reuters, three people were killed in Bangladesh on Friday, as police seek to quell protests led by students, against quotas in government jobs. Protests continue, despite new bans on public gatherings in Bangladesh. Reporters from Reuters describe tear gas fired against protesters, as well as disruptions of telecommunications including some mobile telephone services. Some television news channels are also reportedly off air.
In an email to Teen Vogue author Nabela Noor says she received messages about the situation but has lost contact since the blackout. “I received countless requests from followers back home in Bangladesh asking for help in bringing by global awareness to this issue. I opened my email up to my followers and asked for more details from the students themselves and my inbox became flooded with information and testimonies before the blackout commenced and I lost all contact with the students and my family back home.” She added, “They are fearful for the future, desperate for global awareness on what they are experiencing and are seeking reform on the dated quota model.”
Reuters also reports that websites for Bangladesh’s central bank, the prime minister’s office and police appeared to have been hacked by a group calling itself THE R3SISTANC3.
Messages from the group include, “Operation HuntDown, Stop Killing Students,” and “It’s not a protest anymore, it’s a war now,” as well as “The government has shut down the internet to silence us and hide their actions.”
**This story was updated. **
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