The Bishop of Rajshahi and President of the Justice and Peace Commission of the Bangladesh Bishops’ Conference told “The paralysis of the country is hurting the poor above all. Justice for those who killed, but order must be maintained.” While Dhaka is trying to return to normality this morning, the death toll has already risen to at least 197. Students are denouncing the disappearance of some of their leaders in the wave of arrests. The government is targeting the opposition and foreign “accomplices.”
Dhaka () – Bishop Gervas Rozario of Rajshahi and vice-president of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Bangladesh has called on the government to lift the curfew imposed in the country following the clashes of the last few days that began with protests over the quota system for public employment. “Due to the curfew, needy people cannot have an income. I ask the government to lift it,” said Bishop Rozario to . “The students started the movement, but later it became a political issue and opposition leaders tried to overthrow the government by causing unrest and violence,” he added.
Rozario, who is also president of the Episcopal Commission for Justice and Peace, says that now “the situation seems to be almost under control; that is why the curfew for people in need must be ended.” He calls for justice for the dead and injured, but also for adequate measures to control the situation of disorder.
After five days of paralysis, Bangladesh began to return to normal this morning. With the easing of the curfew, offices, courts and banks reopened, and traffic on roads and highways increased. Since yesterday afternoon, there has been limited access to the Internet in some areas.
The death toll from the violence has risen to at least 197 people killed across the country, while more than 2,000 were injured. The victims include students, political activists, journalists and ordinary citizens. Several public and private buildings were set on fire and vandalised, including the metro, the highway, the building of the public television channel, bridge construction sites and disaster management facilities. Many public and private vehicles, such as buses and trucks, were destroyed. In Dhaka, the police filed 61 complaints against 90,000 people. More than 2,000 arrests have already been made across the country, including some opposition leaders.
Father Tushar James Gomes, deputy general secretary of the Bangladesh Bishops’ Conference, told that no church building or structure appears to have been attacked or damaged.
On July 21, the Court of Appeals overturned the Supreme Court’s verdict on quotas for public posts and ordered the reduction of reserved quotas to 7% – 5% for children and descendants of heroes of the 1971 liberation war, 1% for national minorities and 1% for people with disabilities or the so-called “third gender.” In the new version, quotas for women and backward districts have been removed. Until 2018, 56% of public posts were reserved for candidates belonging to various quotas: 30% for children and grandchildren of freedom fighters, 10% for women, 10% for residents of underdeveloped districts, 5% for members of national minorities and 1% for physically disabled people. Justice Minister Anisul Huq confirmed that the government will implement this verdict.
Coordinators of the student movement against discrimination also held a press conference yesterday at the Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU) auditorium, with a large number of police deployed on the street opposite. They reiterated their four demands: first, the restoration of internet access and the lifting of the curfew; second, that the police leave the university campuses and ensure a safe return for students; and last, guarantees for the coordinators of the movement.
One of the leaders, Sarjis Alam, attributed the explosion of the situation to the government’s attitude towards the quota reform movement. He said that the damage caused to many families is irreparable. It was announced at the press conference that Asif Mahmud, one of the coordinators, along with Abu Bakr Majumdar and Rifat Rashid, have been missing since July 18.
Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud accused Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus of betrayal for calling for international intervention in the issue of quota reform. Mahmud also criticised statements by the Chief Minister of the Indian state of West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee, and announced that diplomats would be shown the destroyed sites and the arson attacks. The Dhaka government also claimed to have identified those who financed the protests and accuses them of having made payments from abroad.
The truth is that it is the poorest who are bearing the brunt of the country’s paralysis. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has called on Awami League supporters to mobilise to provide help to those who are in the greatest need at the moment.
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