Here's Why Bangladesh Students Will Resume Protests Again

Protests that sparked a lethal police crackdown and nationwide unrest in Bangladesh have been vowed to resume by a student group unless several of their leaders are released from custody on Sunday.

Last week's violence resulted in at least 205 deaths, according to an AFP count of police and hospital data, marking one of the biggest upheavals of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's 15-year tenure, as reported by NDTV.

Photo Credit: PTI

Army Patrols and Curfew Imposed

Despite the imposition of army patrols and a nationwide curfew more than a week ago, along with a police dragnet that has detained thousands of protesters including at least half a dozen student leaders, the group Students Against Discrimination announced their intent to end their weeklong protest moratorium.

Demands for Release of Leaders

The group's chief, Nahid Islam, and others "should be freed and the cases against them must be withdrawn," Abdul Hannan Masud stated in an online briefing on Saturday. Mr Masud, who is in hiding from authorities, also demanded "visible actions" against government ministers and police officers responsible for the deaths of protesters, as cited by NDTV. "Otherwise, Students Against Discrimination will be forced to launch tough protests" from Monday, he added.

Detentions and Hospital Discharge

On Friday, Mr Islam and two other senior members of the protest group were forcibly discharged from a hospital in Dhaka and taken away by plainclothes detectives. Earlier in the week, Mr Islam had informed AFP that he was being treated for injuries inflicted by police during previous detention and expressed fear for his life.

Government's Response

Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan stated on Friday that the trio were taken into custody for their own safety but did not confirm if they had been formally arrested. Police informed AFP on Sunday that detectives had taken two more individuals into custody, while a Students Against Discrimination activist reported that a third had been taken on Sunday morning, as per media reports.

Mass Arrests and Curfew

Prothom Alo, Bangladesh's largest daily newspaper, reported that at least 9,000 people have been arrested nationwide since the unrest began. While the curfew imposed last weekend remains in force, it has been progressively eased throughout the week, signalling the Hasina government's confidence in gradually restoring order.

Restoration of Mobile Internet

Telecommunications Minister Zunaid Ahmed Palak announced that the country's mobile internet network would be restored later on Sunday, following an 11-day nationwide blackout imposed during the height of the unrest. Fixed-line broadband connections had already been restored on Tuesday, but most of Bangladesh's 141 million internet users rely on mobile devices for connectivity, according to the national telecoms regulator.

Jobs Crisis and Quota Scheme

The protests began this month over the reintroduction of a quota scheme reserving more than half of all government jobs for certain groups, a move that upset graduates facing an acute employment crisis. Critics argue that the quota is used to stack public jobs with loyalists to the ruling Awami League. Despite the Supreme Court reducing the number of reserved jobs last week, the protesters' demands to scrap the quotas entirely were not met.

Hasina's Governance and Criticism

Prime Minister Hasina, who has ruled Bangladesh since 2009 and won her fourth consecutive election in January in a vote without genuine opposition, has been accused by rights groups of misusing state institutions to entrench power and suppress dissent, including the extrajudicial killing of opposition activists, as per media reports.

Escalation of Violence

Protests had remained largely peaceful until last week's attacks by police and pro-government student groups on demonstrators.