DHAKA: More than 400 persons were injured in ongoing protests over government job quotas in Bangladesh, police and protesters said on Tuesday, after clashes between rival student groups the previous day that continued despite calls from the country’s leadership to end the demonstrations.
Protesters reported that their peaceful marches at two universities in the capital, Dhaka, were violently disrupted by student activists affiliated with the ruling party. These activists, armed with sticks, rocks, machetes, and Molotov cocktails, attacked the demonstrators, leading to widespread injuries.
Police inspector Bacchu Mia informed AFP that “297 people were treated at the Dhaka Medical College Hospital” following the clashes, with 12 of those admitted for further care. Additionally, 111 protesters at Jahangirnagar University received medical treatment at an on-campus clinic and a nearby hospital. Shamsur Rahman, head of the Jahangirnagar University medical center, confirmed, “More than 100 students were treated at our center.”
Yousuf Ali, a doctor at Enam Medical College Hospital, reported that his facility treated 11 patients. “Four people, including a professor who was hit with rubber bullets, are still admitted,” he added.
For weeks, students have been staging near-daily protests, demanding the abolition of the quota system for government jobs in favor of a merit-based scheme. Currently, more than half of the civil service positions are reserved for specific groups. Critics argue that the quota system disproportionately benefits children of pro-government supporters, bolstering Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who secured her fourth consecutive election victory in January in a vote that lacked genuine opposition.
Last week, riot police attempted to disperse the rallies using tear gas and rubber bullets, resulting in at least 11 injuries in the eastern city of Comilla. Monday’s clashes marked the most severe violence since the campaign began, with activists at Jahangirnagar University reporting brutal attacks by members of the ruling Awami League’s student wing.
The violence has drawn condemnation from international bodies, including Amnesty International, which called on Bangladesh to “immediately guarantee the safety of all peaceful protesters.” US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller also criticized the “violence against peaceful protesters.”
Despite the violence, protests resumed on Tuesday afternoon at several locations around Dhaka, leading to fresh clashes as rival student groups hurled bricks at each other. “Students were protesting at least a dozen places in the capital,” Dhaka Metropolitan Police spokesman Faruk Hossain told AFP.
Elsewhere in the country, rallies involving hundreds of students blocked rail lines and highways leading to the capital.
