Bangladesh: How Student Protests Threaten the 15-Year Rule of PM Sheikh Hasina

The army deployed forcefully in the cities of Bangladesh at the request of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, after the police failed to control the unrest that took place in the capital, Dhaka, in protest against the quota-based employment system in the public sector.

The protests pose a serious challenge to the government of Sheikh Hasina, which has held power for 15 years. Sheikh Hasina was scheduled to leave the country a few days ago for a diplomatic tour, but she canceled it after the violence escalated.

The violence of the Bangladeshi authorities in response to the student protests that spread across the country caused the death of about 151 people, according to a toll by Agence France-Presse.

Human rights groups accuse Sheikh Hasina's government of abusing state institutions to strengthen its grip on power, including the extrajudicial killing of opposition activists.

Last week, its administration ordered the closure of schools and universities indefinitely, while the police intensified efforts to control the deteriorating law and order situation.

The suspension of Internet and text messaging services, which began on July 18, continued, isolating Bangladesh from the world while the police took strict measures to confront the protests that continued despite the ban on gatherings in public places.

Student Protests

Police spokesman Faruk Hossain told AFP news agency that hundreds of thousands of protesters confronted the police in the capital, Dhaka, on July 19.

He confirmed that at least 150 police officers were taken to hospital and 150 others received initial care, adding that two officers were beaten to death.

Hossain reported that many protesters set fire to several police booths and several government offices were burned and vandalized.

Protesters also stormed a prison and released hundreds of prisoners before setting it on fire, while others stormed another prison in the Narsingdi region in the center of the country and freed a group of its inmates before setting it on fire as well.

They also set fire to the headquarters of the Bangladesh Public Broadcasting Corporation.

On her part, Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina pledged to punish those responsible for the killing of people during student protests in recent days.

PM Hasina did not reveal who was responsible for the deaths of the victims, but information provided to AFP by hospital administrations and students indicates that some of them died when police officers shot them during the protests.

The almost daily protests that began in early July aim to end the quota system that allocates more than half of public sector jobs to the families of those who fought for independence from Pakistan in 1971.

The students are demanding employment based on merit, considering that this system gives preference to the children of supporters of the Prime Minister, who has ruled the country since 2009.

 In 2018, PM Sheikh Hasina's government reduced the quota system in place since 1992, also after student protests.

But the Supreme Court overturned the decision to reduce it last June, and ordered the reallocation of 30% of public jobs to the children of veterans in the 1971 liberation war against Pakistan.

It is noteworthy that the new quota system fanned the flames of old and sensitive political crises between those who fought for Bangladesh's independence from Pakistan in 1971 and those accused of collaborating with the Pakistani army.

Unprecedented Violence

Over the past few days, police have fired tear gas and stun grenades to disperse protesters during unrest across Bangladesh, with protesters clashing with security personnel, throwing bricks at them and setting vehicles on fire.

With the death toll rising and the police unable to contain the violent protests, the government imposed a nationwide curfew and deployed the army.

TV channels reported that the curfew would be reduced for two hours so that people could get their needs met, pointing out that it will continue for an indefinite period until the government evaluates the situation and determines the next step.

What has intensified the protests, the largest since Sheikh Hasina's re-election to a fourth consecutive term this year, is high unemployment rates among young people, who make up nearly a fifth of the population of about 170 million people.

Human rights groups abroad criticized the government's Internet shutdown, in addition to the severe violence practiced by security forces against protesters, which resulted in dozens of casualties.

On its part, the European Union expressed its deep concern about the violence and loss of life in Bangladesh.

The US State Department has raised its travel advisory for Bangladesh to level four, urging American citizens not to travel to the South Asian country.

In turn, Tarique Rahman, acting chairman of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) in exile, said, “I call on all leaders, activists, and citizens to stand by the protesting students and provide them with all forms of support, as well as continue to push this protest movement forward.”

“Many opposition party leaders, activists, and students were arrested in an attempt to give a political edge to the protests,” he added.

Text messages also reported that the police arrested the coordinator of the protest movement, Nahid Islam.

On their part, some analysts said that the violence has become driven by broader economic problems, such as high inflation, increasing unemployment, and shrinking foreign exchange reserves.

“This is an eruption of the simmering discontent of a youth population built over years because they have been deprived of their economic and political rights,” said Ali Riaz, a professor of politics at the University of Illinois.

Political Arrogance

On July 21, Bangladesh’s Supreme Court scaled back a quota system for government job applicants, after its resumption last month sparked unrest that shook the country and left 151 people dead.

Attorney General AM Amin Uddin said that the Supreme Court declared that the decision to re-impose the quota system was illegal, pointing out that only 5% of public jobs will remain allocated to children of the veterans, and 2% for other groups benefiting from the system.

The Supreme Court also urged the protesting students to return to classes.

Tom Felix Joehnk, the long-term former Bangladesh correspondent for The Economist, said: “Doing away with political competition in Bangladesh was always a bad idea. At heart, this is a political crisis brought on by hubris and economic incompetence.”

Last January, PM Sheikh Hasina won her fourth consecutive term, after her party (Awami League) obtained an absolute majority, amid low turnout in the general elections that were boycotted by the main opposition parties.

The main opposition party, Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), boycotted the elections after Hasina rejected the party's demands to resign and allow a neutral authority to manage the elections.

At that time, Hasina accused the opposition of inciting the anti-government protests that rocked Dhaka since late last October, resulting in the death of at least 14 people.

Sheikh Hasina (76 years old) is credited with transforming Bangladesh's economy and garment industry over the past 15 years, but her critics accuse her of tyranny, violating human rights, and suppressing freedom of expression and dissent.

Two-time Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, who heads the main opposition BNP, is under house arrest on corruption charges that her party claims are fabricated.

It is noteworthy that Sheikh Hasina has survived many crises in her tenure, including an army mutiny, the influx of more than 700,000 Rohingya refugees from neighboring Myanmar, and a series of terrorist attacks.