Bangladesh Protest: Over 300 Indian students return as Bangladesh crisis claims over 100 lives
Bangladesh Protest: The escalating crisis in Bangladesh has led to widespread protests, compelling Indian students to return home by any available means.
On Friday, over 300 Indian students returned home after the turmoil, sparked by the reintroduction of reservation in government jobs, resulted in over 100 deaths as students clashed with security forces and pro-government activists.
The protests, which have been ongoing for at least three weeks, intensified significantly on Monday when violence erupted at Dhaka University.
Many returning students were pursuing MBBS degrees, with the majority hailing from Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Meghalaya, and Jammu and Kashmir.
BANGLADESH UNREST | IN POINTS
- At least 104 people have been killed and over 2,500 injured in clashes between students, government supporters, and security forces in Bangladesh.
- The protests began last month over demands for reform of the country’s quota system for civil service jobs, which reserves positions for specific groups, including descendants of those who participated in the 1971 war of independence against Pakistan
- Bangladesh, appeared largely deserted following the violent protests
- Communication services faced significant disruptions, with authorities having already cut some mobile services on Thursday in an attempt to manage the unrest.
- The situation worsened with a near-total internet blackout reported by NetBlocks as night approached.
- On Friday, there were further fights and deaths as three individuals were reported killed in new protests. In an effort to quell the protests, authorities interfered with communications, suspending cell service; nevertheless, they denied any link to a worldwide cyber outage.
- On Friday, protesters in Bangladesh’s central town of Narsingdi stormed a jail, liberating hundreds of prisoners before setting the building on fire. This was a dramatic escalation of the student protests that have shaken the country
The protests have tapped into a general sense of dissatisfaction as youth unemployment is rampant and inflation is skyrocketing. Old and delicate political rifts between those who supported Bangladesh’s independence from Pakistan in 1971 and others who are alleged to have worked with Islamabad have been exposed by the protests.