#dhaka protests

[curtwilde]

The main gate of Begum Rokeya University has been unofficially renamed Shahid Abu Sayeed gate by the protesting students, after Abu Sayeed who was murdered by the police in the ongoing student protests in Bangladesh.

[the-stars-were-his]

i don't know if any of you know what's happening in bangladesh right now, but please educate yourselves. i don't know if my family there is even fucking alive.

the university students were protesting because the prime minister went back on her promise and reintroduced a quota that many view as unfair, because it allows students who have lower merit than others applying to beat out their fellow applicants, based on their heritage.

the prime minister insulted the protesters, then the protesters were protesting against her, then the police got involved and people were killed and injured. the government then shut down the internet and the country is in blackout.

over a hundred people have died by now, and even more are injured.

[lilithism1848]

[leviraaaaaa]

We won.

[thatdeshigirl]

can you direct to resources that go into detail about the quota system and its flaws ? (from a non-bangladeshi)

THIS is the link to a Facebook post that goes into the details. The video gets informative around 45 seconds from the start, but I would recommend watching the entire video (5 minutes and 35 seconds) to understand the gravity of the situation.

This covers the situation pretty well, but if I am able to find anything more informative, I will also post that.

[you-need-namjesus]

Hey, guys. Sorry if I don't explain things well. I usually just read fanfictions on tumblr. Never thought I'll ever have to post here. But I have come here today for my country and fellow Bangladeshi students.

I am currently hospitilized. I got sprayed with tear gas thrown by the cops. My skin feels like falling off and my nostrils burn like hell. Every breath I take comes with agony. However, that issue is miniscule because my country might fall into a civil war and I urge you to spread the word. I was hoping you could help us reach an international audience cuz our media is monopolised by the corrupt state.

Our corrupt government has unleashed their goons and policemen to brutalise our peaceful student protesters. Numerous are injured and many have lost their lives.

Context: public jobs and admission in public universities are highly coveted and respected in Bangladesh. Therefore, students study for year to get a place in these public sectors. Bangladesh was liberated in 1971 and the freedom fighters were granted reserved seats in all important sectors and educational institution. Which made sense at that time, because the fighters took a hard hit during the war and they needed help from the government to get back on their feet. However, 50 years later, their descendants still have access to these seats and it's taking away chances from hardworking talented individuals. 56% of the seats are reserved. Most workers in ministries and parliament are freedom fighters. If not, they are sons and daughters of a freedom fighter. What I'm trying to say is that, they no longer need these reserved seats. The amount of wealth and stability they have is something an average Bangladeshi could only ever dream of. Unless your grandad went to war 50 years ago, you could not even dream to touch it. This is unfair to the unemployed talented youth of Bangladesh.

We started a peaceful protest. However, we are being brutalised for speaking out against this unfair system. All the universities and other educational institution in Bangladesh have pretty much declared war against the government. However, our local medias are useless because they are heavily monitored by the government. Please help us and spread our news.

Student dorms are being bombed and raided. They are being shot at with bullets, granades and tear gas. 6 young men already lost their lives. Thousands are injured.

You can understand our situation better from this yt video

https://youtu.be/rGSHWIoTNL4?si=3EE6WcOhsE4UfwmR

[colesstar]

I feel like I haven’t seen anything about what’s happening in Bangladesh within my circle of tumblr so a little geography for everyone!! Disclaimer i am not the most educated this is mostly what I’ve heard from family and different news sources please do do your own research as well!!

Summary: There was an internet blackout orchestrated by the government as a result of student protests (peaceful protests might I add) these protests were met with brutality over 200 lives lost (officially) and over 20000 injured

Why are they protesting?

30% of government jobs (some of the most high paying and sought after jobs in bangladesh) are reserved for relatives of people who fought in 1971 (when they fought for independence)

Why is this a problem?

The way of deciding whether you are in this bracket or not is very corrupt, students can work as hard as possible yet once they graduate there is a limited number of jobs to apply to. Spots they worked towards are essentially reserved despite the efforts put in.

What happened as a result of the protests?

Injustice to put it short. Student protesters were attacked and beaten taking lives and injuring others. Students are also being attacked within university halls and dorms. On top of this there was a nationwide internet blackout which cut off peoples communication to family abroad, which also limited news coverage. For a country like Bangladesh it wouldn’t be unheard of for something like this to not reach many areas of the world but the blackout is just contributing to it

What’s happening now?

As of now and my knowledge internet is back up however social media is limited without a VPN. Given the age range affected social media would be their way of speaking out.

It’s terrifying how much is going in to silence a groups fight for freedom in the name of “honouring” veterans. Parents and relatives have spent so much into putting their children into good education yet the government isn’t even giving them the opportunity to try.

[hussyknee]

Someone tell me why I just feel like curling into a ball and crying.

Ten months of unending horror under this maniac's administration and it still isn't over and probably won't be because the libs probably think this gives them a clean slate. Black community will be split between rallying behind Harris against racists and supporting a cop and genocidaire.

Global South lives, our children, our futures are all just collateral to the imperial core.

[romanticnyctophile-nabila]

While our sisters & brothers fought all night for the freedom of their campus from the imbecile ChatraLeague, but all eyes should be on Dhaka University & Jahangir Nagar University. Battalion of RAB & BGB are present with heavy armour, alongside protecting those imbeciles and pointing guns towards our mates.

[generallemarc]

6% for women and minorities, but 30% for descendants of soldiers? Borderline stratocratic governance in the world's only(current) female-led dictatorship(elections may be held, but they're neither free nor fair. It's a Russia-style situation, though perhaps somewhere like Kazakhstan or Kyrgyzstan would be more apt a comparison). Only it's not even for soldiers/independence fighters, but for their kids. Literally special treatment based on who your parents were.

[chickenisamazing]

One of my cousins said there's been gunshots outside her house for hours, even through the Maghrib adhan, and a college student died

Another cousin said her friend's brother got shot with a rubber bullet and she took him to a hospital and they refused care, and that apparently a lot of hospitals are refusing care to protesters

I'm worried

[curtwilde]

This isn't even about the quota anymore. This is a protest against the monopoly of power, a one-party system bordering on dictatorship, the continued GDP fall and increasingly fundamentalist positions. This is the outburst of discontent that had been brewing up for a long time.

[the-stars-were-his]

[rakibhasanehsan]

যখন অনিয়ম, দুর্নীতি একটা আইন হয়ে যায়, সেই মুহূর্তে প্রতিবাদ করা একটা দায়িত্ব বনে যায় ৷

[leviraaaaaa]

They shut all our social media again. The internet is so slow its practically useless.

I went outside today. Saw a bunch of BSL (Student League) kids with sticks and sharp things. They blocked of a road and shit so I had to take the long way round. Another massacre will happen today. That's why they shut off communication. Can't have people alerting each other, can they?

International community, we're reaching out to you. Every word counts. Every reblog counts. Every small step you take could save someone's life. Talk about it. Speak up. They've taken away our voice and now only you can shout for us. Save lives. Stop a genocide.

[thatdeshigirl]

JULY 31

( Image from a protest procession )

Internet access has been restored countrywide.

A hearing about the release of the six protest coordinators has been postponed on account of illness of the judge. ( Source : The Dhaka Tribune)

Arrest of teachers :

Shehrin Ahmed Bhuiyan, a female teacher of Dhaka University was injured by the police during the "March for Justice" procession organised by teachers.

Fahad Hossain, the founder of one of the most popular internet based educational platforms in Bangladesh, has been arrested. Another teacher of the same platform (Bondi Pathshala) has also been arrested.

Asif Mahtab, a former teacher of BRAC University, has been placed in remand.

16 YEAR OLD ARRESTED, CHARGED WITH MURDER

A 16 year old boy has been arrested in relation to the killing of Abu Sayed. Despite video evidence of a police member in uniform shooting at Abu Sayed, later the FIR registered by police had mentioned his cause of death to be bricks thrown by protesters. This had already further enraged the nation. Now, an underage boy has been arrested on the same charges. (SOURCE)