Death toll from Bangladesh anti-quota protests rises to 18

Jul 18 (EUROPA PRESS) –

The death toll from escalating violence during protests against the quota system for public sector workers in Bangladesh has risen to 18, while more than 2,500 people have been injured.

Among the dead was journalist Hasan Mehedi, 28, who worked for the Dhaka Times newspaper. Of the protesters, 14 were killed in central Dhaka, according to the Daily Star.

Amid the chaos, the Bangladesh Police website has been hacked. “The peaceful protest of our brave students has been met with brutal force and murder orchestrated by the government and its political cronies,” reads the message from the hackers.

Violence continued on Thursday despite Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina announcing the establishment of a judicial commission to investigate the deaths of protesters, accusing radical groups of infiltrating the protests.

In fact, the Minister of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, Anisul Huq, has stated in statements to the media that the government is willing to “hold talks” with the protesters in any format, according to the BSS news agency.

The protests began at several universities, with students demanding reform of the quota system for public jobs, more than half of which are reserved for specific groups, including descendants of war veterans, women, residents of impoverished districts, ethnic minorities and people with disabilities.

The protests began earlier this month in several cities across the country after the Bangladesh High Court reinstated the system, which was scrapped in 2018 following major student protests. Amnesty International had denounced the use of force by the authorities at the time.

ON THE USE OF FORCE

Amnesty International (AI) accused authorities on Wednesday of using excessive force and failing to protect students during protests, according to video evidence analysed by the NGO.

“Amnesty International strongly condemns the murder of student Abu Sayed and the attacks on protesters against quota reform at Dhaka University and other campuses across the country,” Amnesty International’s South Asia regional researcher Taqbir Huda said in a statement.

According to witness accounts collected by AI, the protests were peaceful until members of the Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) – the student wing of the ruling Bangladesh Awami League – began attacking protesters with sticks and clubs at Dhaka University.

“We had nothing in our hands, only banners and flags. They started throwing bricks at us and then iron bars. They didn’t discriminate between men and women. Women were kicked in the chest, stomach and head,” said one protester.

An AI-verified video shows gunmen attempting to enter a hospital in Dhaka on July 15. A witness says they attacked people in the emergency ward despite the presence of police.