Over 100 students were injured in clashes between protesters demanding the termination of a quota system for government jobs and those loyal to the ruling party in Bangladesh, according to police and witnesses.
The protests are the first large demonstrations against Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina since she was elected for a fourth consecutive term in a boycotted election in January.
According to police and witnesses, thousands of anti-quota protestors and members of Hasina’s Awami League’s student wing threw rocks and fought with sticks and iron rods at campuses around the country, including Dhaka.
Students were hurt on multiple schools, according to authorities.
The protesters called for marches and rallies to continue across the country to press their demands.
The protests began earlier this month after the High Court ordered the government to restore 30% job quotas for the descendants of freedom fighters. They continued despite Bangladesh’s top court suspending that order for a month last week.
The protests intensified on Sunday night after Hasina refused to meet the students’ demands, stating that the issue was now before the court.
Hasina said those who oppose job quotas for relatives of freedom fighters are the ‘Razakar,’ which collaborated with the Pakistani army during the 1971 War of Independence.
Her comments led thousands of students to leave their dormitories on the Dhaka University campus at midnight to protest.
Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud stated that an attempt is being made to turn the anti-quota campaign into an anti-state one by using the emotions of young students.
