Media Wire Express Correspondent
Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has attributed the recent deadly unrest in the country to her political opponents, stating she was “forced” to impose a curfew for public safety. “We will lift the curfew whenever the situation gets better,” she said on Monday in a meeting with business leaders in Dhaka.
Security forces have been accused of using excessive force against student protesters, resulting in over 150 deaths in the past week. More than 1,000 individuals, including several senior opposition leaders, have been arrested.
Ms. Hasina’s remarks came shortly after Bangladesh’s top court removed most of the quotas on government jobs, addressing a primary demand of the protesters. The rallies have escalated into one of the deadliest outbreaks of violence in years and calls for Ms. Hasina’s resignation.
She has blamed the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party and Jamaat-e-Islami for the violence, vowing to “suppress these militants and create a better environment.”
Political analysts view the unrest as an unprecedented challenge for Ms. Hasina, who secured her fourth consecutive term as prime minister in January through a controversial election boycotted by major opposition parties.
Mubashar Hasan, a research fellow at the University of Oslo, highlighted that her regime’s dictatorial nature and denial of basic voting rights have angered a significant portion of society. “Unfortunately, she never became the prime minister for everyone in the country. Instead, she remained the leader of just one group,” Hasan remarked.
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Before the court’s decision on Sunday, about 30% of high-paying government jobs were reserved for relatives of those who fought in Bangladesh’s 1971 war for independence from Pakistan. The court ruled that 93% of roles would now be filled on merit. Ms. Hasina, daughter of Bangladesh’s founding leader Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, initially abolished the reservation in 2018 following protests, but a court reinstated the quotas in June, triggering fresh unrest.
The protests, primarily led by university students, began around two weeks ago, demanding a merit-based recruitment system. Ms. Hasina’s initial dismissal of the protesters’ concerns exacerbated the unrest. Her comments on 14 July defending the quota system further fueled the protests, leading to thousands taking to the streets of Dhaka and across the country.
In response, authorities imposed a nationwide curfew, called in the military, and suspended mobile internet and text message services for at least five days. Despite this, student leaders have vowed to continue protesting, demanding justice for those killed and detained, the resignation of government ministers, and an apology from Ms. Hasina.
