At least two people died and thousands were injured after police fired teargas into crowds of protesting students, and paramilitary forces were deployed across the country.
Protests first broke out on university campuses across Bangladesh a fortnight ago as tens of thousands of students demanded an end to “unreasonable and discriminatory quotas” for government jobs.
The quotas – which reserve 30% of jobs for family members of veterans who fought in Bangladesh’s war of independence in 1971 – were abolished in 2018 but reinstated this month after a court order.
The reintroduction of the quotas provoked fury among students, who say the job market in Bangladesh is already extremely tough amid high unemployment, heavy inflation and a flailing economy. With the private sector diminishing, government jobs have become the most secure and sought-after form of employment yet are heavily restricted, with 50% allocated through quotas.