DHAKA, Bangladesh: Bangladeshi students have announced new street protests for Monday after the government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina ignored an ultimatum to release detained student leaders and issue an apology for the deaths during recent violent unrest.
The protests, initially sparked by opposition to civil service job quotas, led to days of clashes that left at least 205 people dead, including several police officers, according to police and hospital data compiled by news agency.
The violence is among the worst during Hasina’s 15-year rule. To restore order, her government deployed troops, imposed a curfew, and shut down the internet nationwide. Despite these measures, unrest continues, with at least six leaders of the Students Against Discrimination group among the thousands taken into custody.
Abdul Kader, a coordinator for the group, expressed frustration with the government’s response, calling for a nationwide protest rally and urging all citizens to join their movement.
The students had previously declared a week-long moratorium on new demonstrations, which they vowed to end if their leaders were not released by Sunday evening. Their demands include a public apology from Hasina for the violence, the dismissal of several ministers, and the reopening of schools and universities closed during the height of the unrest.
Since the beginning of the unrest, about 9,000 people have been arrested nationwide, as reported by Bangladesh’s largest daily newspaper, Prothom Alo. Although a nationwide curfew and troop patrols remain in place, these restrictions have been gradually eased since last week. In a sign of the government’s confidence in controlling the situation, mobile internet service, which was shut down at the peak of the unrest, was restored on Sunday after an 11-day blackout.
The protests began in response to the reintroduction of a quota system that reserves over half of all government jobs for certain groups. This move has deeply upset graduates, as around 18 million young Bangladeshis are currently unemployed, according to government figures. Critics argue that the quota system is used to fill public jobs with loyalists to the ruling Awami League. While the Supreme Court reduced the number of reserved jobs last week, it did not meet the protesters’ demand to eliminate the quotas entirely.
Prime Minister Hasina, who has ruled since 2009 and won her fourth consecutive election in January in a vote criticized for lacking genuine opposition, faces accusations from rights groups of using state institutions to maintain her power and suppress dissent, including through the extrajudicial killing of opposition activists.
