The protesters insist they will not be appeased by a change in the government’s job quota system; they want the curfew lifted and the detainees released.
Protesters in Bangladesh have made their demands amid a lull in violence that has filled the streets in recent days after the government scrapped hiring quotas for government jobs.
Student leaders said Monday they plan to continue protests despite a Supreme Court decision to scale back the controversial hiring quota system that sparked the demonstrations. A deadly government crackdown before the decision left 163 people dead, hundreds arrested and thousands injured.
The protesters demanded the government release protest leaders, lift the military curfew and reopen universities, which have been closed since Wednesday. They said they would give the government 48 hours to respond to their demands.
Last week, protesters were attacked by security forces, along with other students who support the ruling Awami League party, as they launched their appeal against the quota system, which aimed to reserve sought-after government jobs for relatives of war veterans and other groups.
Although the court largely overturned the quotas, protesters demanded accountability for the crackdown, including the resignation of ministers.
They also called for the decision to be formalized quickly. Justice Minister Anisul Huq promised on Sunday that the government would implement the changes to the law in the coming days.
Challenges
As on Sunday, the military curfew put in place during the protests was eased for a few hours on Monday to allow residents to buy basic necessities. However, internet connections remained cut off for the fourth consecutive day in this country of 170 million people.
After protesters called for a general lockdown on Monday, soldiers continued to patrol the streets and tanks were deployed on the streets of the capital Dhaka. No other deaths or large gatherings were reported by late afternoon, as relative calm persisted.
Bangladesh’s army chief said on Monday that the situation was “under control”. “The law and order situation is already under control after the deployment of the army,” General Waker uz Zaman said in a statement after inspecting troops at several locations in Dhaka.
Meanwhile, protest leader Nahid Islam, who was injured and beaten and is being treated in a Dhaka hospital, told AFP news agency on Monday that he feared for his life.
A sociology graduate, Nahid heads the Students Against Discrimination association, the main organization organizing the protests against hiring quotas. The association suspended the protests for 48 hours on Monday, saying it did not want to see “so much blood, so many deaths, so much material and human damage.”
“I and many other coordinators fear for our lives,” he said, showing a large purple bruise on his right arm. “Several of my fellow coordinators are missing.”
Nahid accused the authorities of “irresponsible behaviour”, “provocative remarks” and repression, holding them responsible for the escalation of tensions.
“People are expressing their anger against the government. We want justice for those who were martyred by the movement and for the injured,” he said.
“The ministers, the heads of the security forces who ordered the attack, the shooting, we want their resignation.”
The protests took place against a volatile economic backdrop. While Bangladesh’s economy has grown since 2009, under Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s four terms in office, it faces major challenges, including inflation and high youth unemployment.
Hasina has also been accused of authoritarianism and human rights abuses, charges her government has denied. Anti-government protests have posed the biggest challenge to her rule.
Amid the protests, the government has stepped up its crackdown on opposition parties, with at least 70 arrests made from the Bangladesh Nationalist Party.
The job quota system, which was scrapped by the government but revived by a court last month, would have given 30 percent of government jobs to relatives of those who fought in the war that gave Pakistan independence in 1971.
Once the workforce is reduced, 93% of public sector jobs will be reserved for merit-based recruitment, with 5% reserved for family members of veterans. A further 2% will be reserved for people from ethnic minorities or with disabilities.
