Bangladesh declared on Wednesday that all public and private institutions will be closed indefinitely. last comes after student protests over a government job quota system became violent last week, resulting in at least six fatalities and several injuries.
Protests against public sector job quotas, which include a 30% reservation for family members of liberation fighters from the 1971 War of Independence from Pakistan, have shaken the South Asian nation for weeks. Students who experience high rates of youth unemployment—roughly 32 million of Bangladesh’s 170 million-person population are unemployed or underprivileged—have taken offense at this.
As Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina declined to accede to the demonstrators’ demands, citing ongoing legal proceedings, the demonstrations became more intense.This week, clashes between thousands of anti-quota demonstrators and supporters of the ruling Awami League party’s student section nationwide turned the protests violent. Rubber bullets and tear gas were deployed by the police to scatter the demonstrators.
According to police, during Tuesday’s skirmishes, six individuals were slain, including at least three students.
