19 more killed in Bangladesh during protest against job quota

At least 19 people were killed and several hundred others injured as members of law enforcement agencies and ruling Awami League’s student wing Bangladesh Chhatra League clashed with protesting students demanding quota reform in government jobs at places in Dhaka and elsewhere in the country on Thursday., local media reported.

The reports said that the clashes occurred when the law enforcement agencies and BCL tried to resist the quota protesters who had been enforcing a ‘complete shutdown’ across Bangladesh to press home their one-point demand for quota reform in government jobs.

With the latest deaths, a total of 25 people were killed in clashes during quota protest on Tuesday and Thursday.

Meanwhile, the agitating students under the banner of “Anti-Discrimination Student Movement” on Thursday rejected the government proposal for holding a dialogue by suspending their street protest that had become more violent on the day while at least 19 people were killed.

‘By resorting to violence in a peaceful movement, the government has created an unprecedented situation. It is the government's responsibility. The government did not set any condition for negotiations,’ reported New Age, a leading English language newspaper published from Dhaka, quoting Nahid Islam, one of the coordinators of the movement, as saying in a Facebook post.

Law, justice and parliamentary affairs minister Anisul Huq on Thursday said that a judiciary committee was formed to probe the deaths of students in the ongoing quota protest.

The law minister at a press briefing said that following prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s announcement, High Court Division judge, Justice Khandaker Diliruzzaman, was given the responsibility of judicial inquiry.