Bangladesh is facing an outbreak of violence that has already resulted in the deaths of at least 50 people in demonstrations demanding the end of the employment quota system in the public sector.
The reasons why students are protesting across the country and how the demonstrations, which have been going on for several weeks, have degenerated into violent clashes have the following as their backdrop.
What are Bangladesh's rules on employment quotas?
Bangladesh has more than 1.9 million civil service jobs, according to a Ministry of Public Administration report published in 2022.
More than half of the people recruited for these jobs are not chosen based on merit, but rather under positive discrimination rules that give priority to women, people from less developed areas and other disadvantaged groups.
One of the most controversial aspects is the fact that 30% of places are reserved for the children of combatants who participated in the country's liberation war against Pakistan in 1971.
These rules were introduced in 1972 by independence leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, father of current Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
In 2018, student protests pressured Hasina's government to reduce the quota system. But last June, the country's Supreme Court ruled that the changes were illegal and ordered the government to reinstate the quota for families of war veterans, which had been abolished.
Why do students oppose quota rules?
Bangladesh was one of the poorest countries in the world at its independence in 1971 and suffered a devastating famine three years later.
In the following decades, its economy grew spectacularly, largely thanks to a flourishing textile industry that supplies the biggest ready-to-wear brands in the world and is responsible for annual exports of around 50,000 million dollars (just over of 45,900 million euros).
But the country continues to struggle with the need to create enough jobs for its expanding population of around 170 million.
According to official statistics from 2022, more than 40% of Bangladeshis aged between 15 and 24 do not work, study or undertake any training, that is, a total of 18 million people. According to economists, the employment crisis is particularly serious for the millions of graduates.
Civil service jobs offer an opportunity for stable employment for life, but students say the quota system is being exploited to benefit Awami League party loyalists.
Students want the quota system to be drastically reduced, applying only to ethnic minorities and people with disabilities, and for the remaining 94% of places to be awarded to candidates chosen based on merit.
How did the demonstrations take place?
The protests began on the 1st of this month, when students blocked the main roads and railways to assert their demands.
Since then, protests have continued almost every day, with secondary school students joining in, although the Supreme Court suspended the quota system for a month, on the 10th, and urged protesters to return to classes.
Last Monday, violent clashes broke out between anti-quota protesters and the student wing of the Awami League, leaving more than 400 people injured at two universities in Dhaka.
The violence intensified on Thursday: 32 people were killed on that day alone, the deadliest to date, rising today to a total of 50 fatalities.
Police reported the destruction of government buildings, including the headquarters of the public television station in Dhaka.
More than 700 people were injured on Thursday, including 104 police officers and 30 journalists, according to local television station Independent Television.
Police shooting is responsible for at least two-thirds of the deaths recorded so far, according to information provided to AFP by hospital staff.
How did the Government react?
The Government ordered the indefinite closure of schools and universities across the country on Tuesday, deploying a paramilitary force to maintain order in several cities.
Police raided the headquarters of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) on Tuesday night, arresting seven members of its student wing. They claimed to have found Molotov cocktails and other weapons.
Today, it announced the arrest of Ruhul Kabir Rizvi Ahmed, one of the leaders of the country's main opposition force, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP),
In a speech delivered on Wednesday, Hasina condemned the "murder" of protesters and promised that those responsible would be punished and, a day later, Justice Minister Anisul Huq called for "dialogue" with the protesters.
On the same day, Hasina's government blocked internet access across the country, and online advocacy organization Netblocks noted today that the "nationwide" internet blackout remained in effect.
Protesters vowed to continue demonstrations despite the crackdown, while human rights organizations and the United Nations urged the government not to resort to violence.
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