Bangladesh student protests over jobs escalate, telecoms disrupted

Death toll expected to rise amid violence that has seen government buildings torched and telecommunications disrupted.

Dozens of individuals have lost their lives in Bangladesh due to nationwide student protests regarding the distribution of civil service positions, which have taken a more violent turn.

Throughout Friday, student protesters continued to clash with law enforcement and supporters of the government following several days of demonstrations, resulting in government structures being set on fire and severe disruptions in telecommunications.

“The situation remains extremely unstable, intense, and critical at the moment,” stated Al Jazeera’s Tanvir Chowdhury, reporting from Dhaka, the capital.

The death toll from the violent events on Thursday had reached 32 by Friday, as reported by the AFP news agency.

Earlier reports from Al Jazeera indicated that at least 19 protesters had been killed by Thursday night, with most deaths occurring in Dhaka. Additional casualties were reported from protests in Narayanganj and Chittagong.

Government ‘conciliatory’

Smoke rises from the burning vehicles after protesters set them on fire near the Disaster Management Directorate office in Dhaka on July 18 [AFP]

The ongoing unrest, the largest since Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's reelection earlier in the year, has been fueled by significant youth unemployment, affecting approximately one-fifth of the country's 170 million population who are either unemployed or not pursuing education.

Protesters are demanding an end to the government practice of reserving 30 percent of government jobs for supporters of Hasina's Awami League party, which played a crucial role in the country's independence struggle.

These positions are specifically allocated for the relatives of veterans who fought for Bangladesh's liberation from Pakistan in 1971.

In addition to this quota, 26 percent of jobs are designated for women, individuals with disabilities, and ethnic minorities, leaving only 3,000 positions for 400,000 graduates competing in the civil services exam.

Student demonstrations calling for a merit-based job allocation system have been ongoing for weeks, escalating after violent clashes erupted on the Dhaka University campus.

The government took the step of indefinitely closing all public and private universities on Wednesday and deploying riot police and Border Guard paramilitary forces to campus locations.

Al Jazeera's Chowdhury highlighted that the government had shown a willingness to reconcile by instructing the law minister to engage in dialogue with the protesting students.

However, students expressed the need for accountability for law enforcement and pro-government student faction members before considering negotiations with the government.