Situation out of control in Bangladesh, curfew imposed, army deployed, 105 deaths
#News Bureau July 20,2024
Due to continuous violent clashes in Bangladesh, curfew was imposed across the country late on Friday night and army was deployed. AFP reported that at least 105 people have been killed in the clashes across the country so far. More than 1,500 have been injured.
The curfew in Bangladesh was announced by Obaidul Quader, general secretary of the ruling Awami League party. He said this would help the civil administration in maintaining order. The decision came hours after police and security officials opened fire and tear gas on protesters and banned all gatherings in the capital Dhaka on Friday.
Protesters and students have been protesting in Dhaka and other cities against the system of reservation in government jobs, including reservation for relatives of war heroes who fought for the country’s independence from Pakistan in 1971.
They argue that this is a quota system and supporters of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina directly benefit from it. Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League party led the independence movement, and they want it replaced with a merit-based quota system.
However, Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has defended the quota system, saying that families who contributed to Bangladesh’s struggle for independence, regardless of their political affiliation, deserve the quota system and the highest respect.
The situation in Bangladesh is worse since Thursday. On Thursday, the protest turned violent when protesters set fire to the building of a government TV channel. The violence forced authorities to shut down rail services to and from Dhaka as well as the metro rail inside the capital. The government also ordered shutdown of mobile internet networks in many parts of the country. Schools and universities are closed indefinitely.
