Increasingly violent clashes in Bangladesh reflect “strong discontent with the ruling party”

As the week progressed, protests that began in early July to demand an end to the quota system in the civil service degenerated, leaving at least 39 dead.

In Bangladesh, clashes are becoming increasingly deadly. The clashes between the security forces and students, which began at the beginning of July, left 39 dead in 48 hours, including 32 on Thursday, July 18 alone. At least 700 people were injured during these clashes, including 104 police officers and 30 journalists.

Universities and schools have been closed since the beginning of the week, while the headquarters of state television and several government buildings were set on fire on Thursday. The internet has also been cut off across most of the country. The student protests were sparked by a reform of the civil service hiring quota system.

The government’s decision sparked a scandal. In June, it wanted to reintroduce a quota system for access to civil service positions, and reserve a third of jobs for the descendants of those who fought for the country’s independence in 1971. An unfair measure for some Bangladeshi students. “In every school, in every university, there are blockages, and the images are really violent, explains Tihami, a professor at the Alliance Française in the capital, Dhaka. For students, we need to remove these quotas, we need to give everyone an equal chance.” The measure is all the more badly received as in Bangladesh, almost one in two young people is unemployed.

But the anger goes further, according to Philippe Benoît, a researcher at Inalco, the National Institute of Oriental Languages ​​and Civilizations. Students are also demonstrating against the repressive nature of the state: “There is also, I believe, a strong discontent against the violence of this party in power, against police violence. This is a party that is in its fourth five-year term, so it has been in power continuously since 2008, following elections that are considered not to have been free elections.”

Amnesty International said videos of the week’s clashes showed that Bangladeshi security forces used unlawful force, while the UN called on all parties to exercise restraint. “We urge the government to ensure an environment conducive to dialogue. And we encourage the protesters to engage in dialogue to break the impasse.”said his spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric, adding: “Violence is never a solution”In 2018, student protests had already led to the suspension of the quota system in the country.