7/16 Bangladesh government shuts down nationwide internet: students protest against civil service quota system

Roots of Unrest: Job Quotas Spark Nationwide Protests

Bangladesh has been rocked by weeks of intense protests over a controversial quota system for public service jobs. The system, which reserves 30% of government positions for family members of freedom fighters from the 1971 War of Independence against Pakistan, has ignited outrage among students facing dire employment prospects. With nearly 32 million young people out of a total population of 170 million neither working nor in school, the quota system has become a flashpoint for widespread discontent. The protests reflect deep-seated frustrations with high youth unemployment and limited opportunities in the South Asian nation.

Government Crackdown: Universities Closed, Curfew Imposed

Demonstrations took a violent turn this week, with thousands of anti-quota protesters clashing with members of the ruling Awami League party across the country. In response to the escalating unrest, police used rubber bullets and tear gas to disperse the crowds. On July 16, the Bangladesh University Grants Commission ordered all universities to close indefinitely, citing security concerns. The government has taken further stringent measures, imposing a nationwide curfew and even shutting down Internet services across the country to prevent relevant information from leaking out.

What’s even more surprising is that the police were reportedly authorized to “shoot to kill” during curfew hours. Although Dhaka's streets appear calmer following these measures, there is still a heavy military and police presence. In a major development, the Supreme Court on July 21 ruled to reduce the percentage of reserved public vacancies from 56% to 7%, leaving 93% of the posts open to the public.

Rising death toll and international concern

According to the latest news, the Bangladesh government's violent suppression of the student movement has resulted in the death of at least 133 people and the arrest of more than 500 people, including many opposition leaders. Faced with this brutal crackdown, student protesters on Monday announced a conditional suspension of demonstrations.

The escalating crisis has attracted international attention, and 83-year-old Bangladeshi Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus issued an urgent appeal to the international community. "I urgently call on international leaders and the United Nations to do all they can to end the violence suffered by those who exercise their right to demonstrate," Yunus said. As Bangladesh grapples with the unprecedented unrest, Prime Minister Sheikh Cheah, who has been in power for 15 years, Sheikh Hasina's authoritarian government faces its most significant challenge yet.

In fact, since the outbreak of Covid-19, Bangladesh's economy has fallen into a severe recession and has not yet recovered to its previous level. In Bangladesh, tens of millions of people are facing unemployment and financial difficulties, and the entire country is also facing inflation that continues to hit new records. Recently, the U.S. State Department also raised the travel advisory for Bangladesh to level four, calling on people not to travel to Bangladesh, and authorizing local non-emergency U.S. government employees and their families to leave Bangladesh if they wish, all because of the out-of-control civil unrest there.