At least 93 people have been killed in Bangladesh as fierce clashes erupted across various cities on Sunday. The violence stems from widespread protests demanding Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s resignation, according to local media. The death toll includes 14 policemen, escalating concerns over public safety.
The protests have their roots in a student-led demonstration over government job quotas reserved for descendants of independence war veterans. The catalyst for the recent unrest was the move by Bangladesh’s High Court on June 5, 2024, to declare the 2018 abolition of these quotas illegal, which sparked student protests demanding the scrapping of the quota system. The Bangladeshi Supreme Court’s Appellate Division later overturned the High Court’s decision, scaling back the quota to seven percent of government positions, five percent of which remain reserved for liberation war descendants.
Sunday marked the beginning of a non-cooperation movement spearheaded by students, involving tens of thousands of demonstrators urging the public to withhold taxes, avoid paying utility bills, and abstain from work until Prime Minister Hasina steps down. The government has responded by declaring a three-day public holiday starting from Monday to ensure public safety, as well as imposing an indefinite curfew commencing at 6pm on Sunday.
For more detailed information on the escalating situation, visit JURIST’s comprehensive coverage.