Bangladesh imposes nationwide curfew, army takes over
A curfew has been imposed across the country amid violent protests against reservation in government jobs in Bangladesh. Ruling Awami League Party General Secretary Obaidul Quader announced this late Friday (July 19). He said that the army has been deployed to control the violence.
The curfew has been announced by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government after police and security personnel opened fire on protesters during the day on Friday. Media reports say that several people have been killed in this. The government has also banned any kind of gathering in the capital Dhaka.
According to an AFP report, student protesters stormed a prison in Narsingdi district on Friday. They set fire to the jail after freeing hundreds of prisoners. Earlier on Thursday, hundreds of protesters entered the campus of the BTV office and burnt more than 60 vehicles. On the same day, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina gave an interview to BTV.
105 deaths so far in Bangladesh
About 105 people have reportedly died in violent clashes between police and protesters in Bangladesh this week. This protest by students has become a big challenge for Sheikh Hasina during her 15-year tenure. Sheikh Hasina’s press secretary Naimul Islam Khan told AFP, “The government has decided to impose curfew and deploy the army to assist the authorities.” He said that the curfew will be implemented with immediate effect.
Why are students protesting?
Under the current reservation system, 56 percent of government jobs in Bangladesh are reserved, of which 30 percent are reserved for the descendants of freedom fighters of the 1971 Liberation War, 10 percent for backward administrative districts, 10 percent for women, 5 percent for ethnic minority groups and 1 percent for the disabled. But the students here are against the reservation given to the descendants of freedom fighters. According to the data, every year 3 thousand government jobs are released in the country, for which the number of applicants is close to 4 lakh. In which 30 percent reservation goes to them. The students are very angry about this and they are protesting.
