Protests Erupt in Bangladesh Over Government Job Quotas

In a dramatic escalation of tensions, police and security forces in Bangladesh resorted to firing bullets and deploying tear gas against protesters in the capital on Friday. This response came after a series of deadly clashes sparked by widespread discontent over government job allocations. Internet and mobile services were shut down as authorities sought to quell the unrest, which has persisted for several days.

The protests, initially ignited weeks ago, intensified sharply starting on Monday, representing a significant challenge to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s administration. Hasina, who has secured a fourth consecutive term since the January elections—boycotted by major opposition groups—now faces mounting pressure from disaffected students and job seekers.

Local media outlet Somoy TR reported that four more individuals lost their lives amid the latest confrontations. This follows a particularly violent day of protests where local reports indicated that 22 people were killed as students attempted to enforce a nationwide shutdown. The government has yet to confirm these casualty figures.

The unrest has exposed underlying fractures in Bangladesh’s governance and economy, particularly the frustrations of young graduates struggling to find decent employment. In response, the government has deployed police and paramilitary forces throughout the capital, effectively locking down university campuses and dispersing crowds. On Wednesday, several universities, including the largest in the country, suspended classes and closed dormitories. By Friday, Dhaka police announced a total ban on all gatherings and demonstrations in the capital.

An Associated Press reporter witnessed border guard officials firing upon a crowd of over 1,000 protesters who had gathered outside the head office of state-run Bangladesh Television. The day prior, the building had been attacked and set ablaze by demonstrators. In the ensuing chaos, border guards discharged rifles and sound grenades, while police retaliated with tear gas and rubber bullets. The streets were littered with spent bullet casings and stained with blood.

According to a news producer and reporter from Bangladesh Television, protesters had breached the main gate, setting fire to vehicles and the reception area. Speaking anonymously due to safety concerns, one producer recounted, “I escaped by leaping over the wall, but some of my colleagues were trapped inside. The attackers entered the building and set furniture ablaze.”

As tensions continued to escalate, student protesters vowed to further extend their calls for a nationwide shutdown, urging mosques across the country to hold funeral prayers for those who had been killed in the violence. Major universities have announced closures until the situation stabilizes. The protesters are demanding an end to a quota system that allocates up to 30% of government jobs to relatives of veterans who fought in Bangladesh’s 1971 war of independence against Pakistan. Critics argue that the quota system is discriminatory, favoring supporters of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League party, which spearheaded the independence movement. They are calling for a transition to a merit-based hiring system.

Despite the protests, Hasina has defended the quota system, asserting that the veterans deserve the utmost respect for their contributions to the country, regardless of their political affiliations. While Hasina’s government is credited with fostering significant economic growth in Bangladesh, rising inflation—partly fueled by global upheaval due to the war in Ukraine—has led to labor unrest and increasing dissatisfaction among the populace.

Even as job opportunities have expanded in some sectors, many individuals prefer government employment, viewing it as more secure and financially rewarding. However, competition is fierce, with approximately 400,000 graduates vying for a mere 3,000 positions available through the civil service exam each year.

“The situation unfolding in Bangladesh is profoundly concerning for a generation that simply seeks fair opportunities in public service recruitment,” stated Saad Hammadi, policy and advocacy manager at the Balsillie School of International Affairs in Canada, who has championed freedom of expression in the country. “The transformation of a peaceful protest into a scene of lawlessness reflects the government’s short-sightedness and ineffective policy governance.”

The internet shutdown has exacerbated the crisis, rendering local news sites inaccessible and isolating citizens from global communications. This measure has been employed by the government to suppress dissent, with internet watchdog Access Now reporting three shutdowns in Bangladesh in 2023, all coinciding with opposition rallies. Last year, the organization noted a total of six shutdowns in the country.

In a broader context, the non-profit organization CIVICUS, which monitors civic freedoms worldwide, downgraded Bangladesh to a “closed” status in its ratings last year—placing it in the same category as China and Venezuela—due to a crackdown on opposition figures and supporters ahead of national elections.

The main opposition party, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), has expressed solidarity with the protesting students and pledged to organize its own demonstrations. Many BNP supporters have actively joined the students’ protests. On Friday, police confronted a few hundred BNP supporters, using tear gas and arresting senior BNP leader Ruhul Kabir Rizvi. The government has accused the BNP of inciting violence, conducting raids on the party’s headquarters earlier in the week and detaining activists from its student wing.

The Awami League and the BNP have a long history of mutual accusations over instigating political chaos and violence, particularly in the lead-up to national elections marred by governmental crackdowns on opposition figures. In a notable shift, Hasina’s government had previously suspended job quotas amid widespread student protests in 2018. However, a recent ruling from Bangladesh’s High Court reinstated these quotas after petitions from relatives of the 1971 veterans, sparking the current wave of demonstrations.

The Supreme Court has since suspended the High Court’s ruling pending an appeal hearing, with a statement indicating it will address the matter on Sunday. In a televised address on Wednesday, Hasina urged protesters to “exercise patience” while awaiting the court’s verdict, expressing her belief that justice would ultimately prevail for the students.