Peace Is Returning To Bangladesh After Violent Clashes That Killed Nearly 200

After more than a week of unrest over student protests demanding government job quotas, Bangladesh is gradually getting back to business as usual, albeit with restricted internet and office hours.

In little more than a week, there were close to 200 recorded deaths. The majority of the nation was still without internet, but thousands of cars were on the capital’s streets after a seven-hour curfew was loosened by the government.

Banks and offices reopened for a few hours on Wednesday while Dhaka and Chattogram, the country’s second-largest metropolis, saw the restoration of broadband internet in certain regions. According to the prominent daily published in Bengali, Prothom Alo, at least 197 people have died in acts of violence since July 16.

All educational establishments, including schools, have been closed indefinitely. Since July 15, there have been clashes between the police and protestors, who are primarily students and call for the removal of a quota that allocated 30% of government employment to the families of veterans who participated in Bangladesh’s 1971 independence war.

The major opposition party in the nation, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, and the right-wing Jamaat-e-Islami party backed the protests, which led to deadly anarchy. Many government buildings in Dhaka were being attacked as the violence expanded throughout the nation. The 1971 war veterans’ quota was reduced to 5% by an order issued by the Supreme Court on Sunday.

Therefore, 93% of civil service positions will be awarded based on merit, with the remaining 2% going to people with disabilities and members of ethnic minorities. The government revised the government job quota system on Tuesday by issuing a circular that acknowledged the Supreme Court’s decision. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s administration hailed the decision and declared itself prepared to put it into effect. After giving the verdict on Sunday some thought, the demonstrators responded on Tuesday, stating that while the Supreme Court’s decision and the government’s subsequent circular supported them, the government still needed to take responsibility for the fatalities and violence that resulted from the protests.

The protests have presented the government of Bangladesh with its biggest test since Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was re-elected in January amid widespread boycotts by the major opposition parties.

The government has ordered individuals to stay at home, shut down the internet, and closed universities. Protesters had claimed that the Awami League party, led by Mr. Hasina, benefited from the quota system, which they claimed was discriminatory and should be replaced with a merit-based one.

Regardless of their political affiliation, Mr. Hasina has defended the quota system by arguing that all veterans—living or dead—as well as the women who were raped and tortured in 1971, should be treated with the utmost respect.

Before the nation’s national election, which was tainted by a crackdown on various opposition individuals, the Awami League and the BNP have frequently accused one another of inciting political unrest and violence.