IN Bangladesh, thousands of protesters, led by the anti-discrimination student movement, took to the streets of Dhaka demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her cabinet.
Protesters were seen waving flags and chanting in the streets.
In response to the calls for protests by the ‘anti-discrimination student movement’, protesters also organized rallies and marches in almost every major city and town across Bangladesh recently, blocking many national highways.
The protests, which began in July this year were fueled by the government’s job quota system.
The Bangladeshi government’s quota system had already been abolished in 2018. But was reinstated by a lower court in June this year, directing that 93% of government jobs would be open to candidates on merit, without quotas.
The system favors war heroes’ relatives, which students argue is discriminatory.
The reinstatement of the quota system has escalated into violence. Demonstrations and clashes have spread nationwide, resulting in over 200 deaths.
The violent clashes prompted the supreme court to suspend the quota, however, protests are expected to continue, as reports emerged that student groups have rejected the government’s offer to negotiate, leading to the closure of schools and universities across Bangladesh until further notice.
