More than 150 killed in Bangladesh protests | BBC News
Summary
TLDRBangladesh is experiencing heightened tensions as students persist in protests following the Supreme Court's decision to abolish most government job quotas for war veterans' relatives. Over 150 people have been killed in a week of unrest. The government has acknowledged the unfairness of the quota system, but demonstrators demand justice for the violence and implementation of the court's order. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina faces one of her most significant challenges, with the situation escalating beyond the quota issue to include broader grievances like inflation, corruption, and electoral fraud.
Takeaways
- 😡 Students in Bangladesh continue protests after the Supreme Court scrapped most government job quotas.
- 🔨 Protesters want the government to implement the court order before ending demonstrations.
- 💀 Over 150 people have been killed in a week of violent clashes.
- 👨👩👦 A third of government jobs were reserved for relatives of veterans from the 1971 independence war.
- 🚨 A strict curfew and near communication blackout have been imposed to control public anger.
- 📢 Protests are reportedly fueled by discontent over the job quota, corruption, high inflation, and election rigging.
- 🏥 Many students and protesters have been injured or killed in the violence, leading to public outcry.
- 👮♂️ Bangladesh's government denies using violence against unarmed students, claiming the protests are politically motivated.
- 👩⚖️ The Supreme Court ruling is seen as a step, but students demand accountability for the killings.
- 📴 Communication shutdowns make it difficult to get information from the ground.
Q & A
What is the main cause of the protests in Bangladesh?
-The main cause of the protests is the government's job quota system for relatives of veterans from Bangladesh's war for independence, which students argue is unfair and benefits those close to the ruling party.
How did the Supreme Court respond to the quota system?
-The Supreme Court scrapped most of the government job quotas, which led to protests by students who were demonstrating against them.
What is the current situation regarding the violence in Bangladesh?
-The situation is tense, with more than 150 people killed in a week of violence. The government has imposed a strict curfew and near blackout of communication to control public anger.
What are the demands of the protesting students?
-The students are demanding the government to implement the Supreme Court order, accountability for the violence against protesters, and justice for those killed.
What is the government's stance on the violence against students?
-The government has denied using violence against unarmed students and alleges that the protests are politically motivated.
Who is the Prime Minister of Bangladesh, and what is her response to the situation?
-The Prime Minister is Sheikh Hasina. She has promised action against those who've committed murder and acknowledged the unfairness of the high percentage of government jobs allocated for veterans' families.
What is the role of the police and paramilitary forces in the situation?
-The police and paramilitary forces are accused of cracking down on the protests, leading to violence and casualties.
How has the international community reacted to the situation in Bangladesh?
-The script does not provide specific details on the international community's reaction, but it mentions that the election was disputed and not considered free and fair by the international community.
What is the impact of the internet shutdown on the situation?
-The internet shutdown has limited the flow of information, making it difficult to communicate with people on the ground and leaving the public with limited information about the ongoing protests and violence.
What are the broader issues that have contributed to the protests, according to the script?
-Beyond the quota system, the script suggests that broader issues such as high inflation, corruption, lack of accountability, and disenfranchisement due to rigged elections have contributed to the protests.
What is the current status of the quota system after the Supreme Court's decision?
-The Supreme Court's decision has scrapped most of the quotas, but the script indicates that students are not satisfied and continue to protest, demanding the implementation of the court order and justice for the violence.
Outlines
🚨 Bangladesh Tensions Rise Over Quota System Protests
Bangladesh is experiencing heightened tensions as students continue to protest against the government's job quota system, despite the Supreme Court's decision to scrap most of it. The quota system, which reserved a third of government jobs for relatives of veterans from the 1971 war for independence, has been a point of contention. Over 150 people have been killed in a week of violence. The government has denied using violence against unarmed students and claims the protests are politically motivated. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has promised action against those responsible for murder. The situation is further complicated by a communication blackout and a strict curfew, making it difficult to gauge the full extent of the unrest.
📵 Internet Shutdown Amidst Widespread Protests
The Bangladeshi government's response to the protests has included an internet and communication shutdown, making it challenging to obtain real-time information from the ground. The protests have grown beyond the initial demand for quota system reform, as various disaffected groups join in, expressing grievances over issues like high inflation, corruption, and perceived election rigging. The government's handling of the situation is under scrutiny, with the international community closely watching the escalating violence and the government's commitment to addressing the protesters' demands.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Bangladesh
💡Supreme Court
💡Protests
💡Government job quotas
💡Violence
💡Curfew
💡Communication blackout
💡Veterans
💡Paramilitary
💡Accountability
💡Disenfranchisement
Highlights
Bangladesh remains tense with student protests following the Supreme Court's decision to scrap most government job quotas.
Protesters demand the immediate implementation of the court order before ending demonstrations.
More than 150 people have been killed in a week of violence related to the protests.
The quota scheme reserved a third of government jobs for relatives of veterans from the 1971 War of Independence from Pakistan.
There is a heavy presence of troops on the streets, a strict curfew, and near-blackout of communication to control public anger.
Security forces are accused of using excessive force, with reports of unarmed students being killed and injured.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has denied that the government used violence against unarmed students, calling the protests politically motivated.
There are allegations that the protests have been joined by various aggrieved groups, beyond just the students.
The government's response includes imposing internet and communication shutdowns, limiting information flow.
The journalist Kamal Ahmed described the situation as one of the most serious challenges Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has faced in nearly 15 years in power.
Protests are being fueled by multiple grievances, including high inflation, corruption, lack of accountability, and allegations of election rigging.
Despite the Supreme Court decision, some protesters continue to demand justice for those killed and injured during the crackdown.
Many protestors believe the quota system was unfair and favored those close to the ruling party.
The situation remains uncertain with continued protests and a harsh government crackdown.
Kamal Ahmed emphasized the limited flow of information from the ground due to the government's internet shutdown.
Transcripts
Bangladesh remains tense with some
students having vowed to continue
protests a day after the Supreme Court
scrapped most of the government job
quotas they were demonstrating against
they want the government to implement
the court order before they call off
their demonstrations more than 150
people have been killed there in a week
of violence the quota scheme meant a
third of jobs were reserved for
relatives of veterans from the country's
war for independence from Pakistan in
1971 a warning that this report from our
South Asia correspondent lay contains
distressing
images troops on the streets a strict
curfew a near blackout of
communication Bangladesh is using all
its might to control public
anger over the past week students
marched on the streets against kotar and
government jobs for families of veterans
of Bangladesh's war for independence
which some say benefits those close to
the ruling
party the police and paramilitary are
accused of cracking down on the
protest in this video verified by the
BBC a young man injured but alive left
on the streets by Security Forces he
died later one of more than 150
killed outside at taka Hospital Shaha
beam the aunt of 16-year-old Imam
Hussein who succumbed to gunshot
[Music]
injuries my nephew was an innocent child
why did they kill him in such a brutal
way she
cried hundreds have been injured in what
many describe as the worst violence
they've
seen three of my friends are dead see
there are blood stains on my hand why
are my hands colored with the blood of
my
brothers Bangladesh's government has
denied that it used violence against
unarmed students it alleges the protests
are politically
motivated prime minister shik Hina last
spoke out on Wednesday she promised
action against those who've committed
murder in nearly 15 consecutive years in
power this is one of the most serious
challenges she's faced yog BBC News
well let's speak to Kamal Ahmed an
independent British Bangladeshi
journalist uh thank you very much for
joining us on BBC News wonder if I could
ask by asking you first were you
surprised by the levels of
demonstrations and indeed the violence
there over the last
week of course we were surprised because
uh it comes only within 6 months of an
election which election was all disputed
uh nobody uh especially International
Community thought that eltion was free
and fair but anyway the new government
they took power and some sort of
stability was there and so so quick
there is such a big uh discontent um and
demonstration protest it was really uh
unexpected so quick just explain what
the students were angry about and
whether this Supreme Court decision
yesterday will make any
difference I it's too early to say that
whether the Supreme Court decision will
make any decision because some of the uh
protesting hesitating students have said
rejected this and said that they also
want um accountability for this brutal
repression U
they want Justice For Those killings U
indiscriminate killings you know that
the number has gone up up to 10075 or 74
so it's still unclear what's going to
happen but on the other hand the
government has accepted the rational
that uh
this High proportion or high percentage
of um government job uh in Kota
allocated for the veterans families were
not fair this unfairness has been
admitted now established so U it has to
be seen how it's been accepted yes and
some of the students are saying they're
not going to stop protesting until it
has actually been implemented this is
quite a tough thing for um the Prime
Minister isn't it at the moment it is
and remember this movement though it
started by the students as a quota
movement it no longer remained as a
quota movement uh all sorts of discon
disgarded people uh angry people they
joined this uh movement U because of
high inflation corruption lack of
accountability as I said before the
elections were rigged so
disenfranchisement is another reason so
there are lots of U aggrieved people
they combined this their force and
joined this movement so it has to be
seen how others are reacting and we
don't know because government has
imposed a a internet shutdown
communication shutdown we can't speak to
the people on the ground and very
limited information is coming out from
the ground even yesterday there were
trouble and 12 more people uh were
killed yesterday
Kamal Ahmed independent British
Bangladeshi journalist thank you for
joining us on BBC news thank you
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