Bangladesh shuts universities, colleges indefinitely

DHAKA, July 17 (Reuters) - The South Asian nation has been rocked by protests for weeks over public sector job quotas, which include a 30% reservation for family members of freedom fighters from the 1971 War of Independence from Pakistan. It has sparked anger among students who face high youth unemployment rates, with nearly 32 million young Bangladeshis not in work or education out of a total population of 170 million people.

Demonstrations intensified after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina refused to meet the protesters' demands, citing ongoing court proceedings, and labelled those opposing the quota as "razakar" - a term used for those who allegedly collaborated with the Pakistani army during the 1971 war.

The protests turned violent this week when thousands of anti-quota protesters clashed with members of the student wing of the ruling Awami League party across the country. Police used rubber bullets and tear gas to disperse the protesters.

Six people, including at least three students, were killed during the clashes on Tuesday, police said.

"We urgently call on the Government of Bangladesh to immediately guarantee the safety of all peaceful protesters and proper treatment of all those injured," Amnesty International said in a post on X.

Authorities have deployed riot police, along with the Border Guard Bangladesh paramilitary force, at university campuses across the country to maintain law and order.

Late on Tuesday, the University Grants Commission ordered all universities to shut down and instructed students to vacate the premises immediately for security reasons. High schools, colleges and other educational institutions were also shut.

Nahid Islam, the coordinator of the anti-quota protests, said students will hold processions on Wednesday carrying coffins in solidarity with those that lost their lives.

"Many have left the dormitories out of fear due to attacks by cadres of the student league (the student wing of the ruling party)," said a female student of Dhaka University, who asked not to be named for fear of reprisal.

"Still, many students remain, especially in the men's dormitories. Those of us currently staying in the dorms are not leaving easily.”

Police raided the headquarters of the main opposition, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), in Dhaka around midnight on Tuesday and arrested seven activists, including a former leader of its student wing.