More than 400 Bangladeshis were injured during ongoing protests against quotas for coveted government jobs, police and protesters reported on Tuesday, following violent clashes between rival student groups the previous day.
Demonstrators claimed that their peaceful marches at two universities in Dhaka on Monday were disrupted by student activists from the ruling party, who were armed with sticks, rocks, machetes, and Molotov cocktails.
The sudden escalation in violence is seen as an effort to quash a determined campaign that has persisted despite calls from Bangladesh’s prime minister and top court for students to return to class.
Police inspector Bacchu Mia informed that “297 people were treated at the Dhaka Medical College Hospital” after the clashes, with 12 of them being admitted.
At Jahangirnagar University, another 111 protesters received treatment at a campus clinic and a nearby hospital. “More than 100 students were treated at our centre,” Shamsur Rahman, head of the university’s medical centre informed. Yousuf Ali, a doctor at Enam Medical College Hospital, reported treating 11 patients, including a professor who was injured by rubber bullets.
The protests, ongoing for weeks, demand the abolition of the government quota system for jobs, advocating for a merit-based scheme instead. The current system reserves over half of the well-paid civil service positions for specific groups, including descendants of heroes from Bangladesh’s 1971 liberation war.
Critics argue the system favors children of pro-government supporters of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who secured her fourth consecutive term in January’s election, criticized for lacking genuine opposition.
Last week, riot police used tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse rallies, injuring at least 11 students in Comilla.
Monday’s clashes, deemed the worst since the campaign began, involved activists at Jahangirnagar University who reported severe attacks by members of the ruling Awami League’s student wing.
Amnesty International condemned the violence, urging Bangladesh to “immediately guarantee the safety of all peaceful protesters.” US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller also criticized the “violence against peaceful protesters.”
Bangladesh’s foreign ministry expressed disappointment with the State Department’s statement and disputed US claims of two deaths during the protests.
Protests resumed on Tuesday afternoon at various locations in Dhaka, with fresh clashes where rival student groups hurled bricks at each other. “Students were protesting at least a dozen places in the capital,” Dhaka Metropolitan Police spokesman Faruk Hossain informed the press.
Elsewhere, rallies involving hundreds of students blocked rail lines and highways leading to the capital, intensifying the unrest across the country.
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