DHAKA – July 24, 2024 – Bangladesh has partially restored telecommunication services, although internet connectivity remains slow and social media access is still suspended. This move comes in the wake of deadly protests against government job reservations that resulted in nearly 150 deaths.
The unrest has subsided since Sunday, following a Supreme Court ruling that reduced job reservation quotas to 7 percent, overturning a previous high court decision that reinstated a 56 percent quota. The Supreme Court’s decision has been acknowledged by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government.
With protests diminishing, the government has begun easing the curfew imposed last week. On Wednesday, restrictions were relaxed for seven hours, and offices reopened from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Residents of Dhaka were seen returning to their daily routines, with public buses operating in contrast to last week’s violent clashes.
Protesting students have issued a new 48-hour ultimatum to the government, demanding the fulfillment of four additional conditions from an eight-point list. These include the restoration of internet services, withdrawal of police from university campuses, and reopening of universities that have been closed for a week. “We want the government to meet our four-point demand,” said protest coordinator Nahid Islam.
The protests erupted following a high court ruling last month that limited merit-based state job opportunities in a country with approximately 32 million young people out of work or education. The situation worsened after Prime Minister Hasina labeled the protesters as “razakars,” a term used for those who collaborated with the Pakistani army during the 1971 war of independence.
Hasina has blamed political opponents for the violence, stating that the curfew will be lifted “whenever the situation gets better.” The main opposition party, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, has denied involvement in the unrest.
In response to the violence, several countries, including India and Malaysia, have evacuated their citizens from Bangladesh in recent days.
