In India’s neighbouring country, Bangladesh, a coup has taken place. A spark over reservations quickly turned into a blazing fire, resulting in the ousting of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
The violence was sparked by protests against the reservation given to relatives of freedom fighters in government jobs. The protests began on July 1, following a Dhaka High Court order on June 5 to reinstate the reservation system for the families of freedom fighters.
This decision ignited widespread rebellion against the reservation policy across Bangladesh, leading to such intense unrest that it resulted in a coup.
Amidst the violence and protests, Hasina resigned from her position as Prime Minister and left the country. Following her resignation, the military has taken control.
Bangladesh’s Army Chief, Waker-uz-Zaman, announced that the army will form an interim government. The army chief has urged people to maintain peace and stated that the demands of the protesters
The situation has become so uncontrollable that over 300 people have died in clashes between protesters and the police. Protesters argue that the current reservation system significantly hinders the enrollment of deserving students in government services.
Students from Dhaka University have taken a leading role in the protests, particularly against the recruitment for first and second-class government jobs. They are demanding that the current reservation system be reformed to fill positions based on merit.
Interestingly, the reservation system the students are protesting against is not currently in effect. The Supreme Court had already stayed the High Court's decision to implement a 30% reservation for the children and grandchildren of the heroes of Bangladesh's 1971 liberation war.
In the early days, the student protests were relatively peaceful. However, the situation took a turn for the worse when several opposition parties, including the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, became involved.
The entry of these political parties led to clashes between opposition and ruling party student groups, resulting in the protests turning violent.
In Bangladesh, the reservation system allocated 30% of government jobs to the children and grandchildren of the heroes of the 1971 liberation war, 10% for administrative districts, 10% for women, 5% for ethnic minorities, and 1% for physically disabled individuals.
This reservation system was suspended in 2018, which had halted similar protests at that time.
The Bangladeshi High Court had ordered the reinstatement of a 30% quota for the descendants of the heroes of the liberation war. After the reintroduction of this system in 2018, protests erupted anew.
Demonstrators support a 6% quota for disabled individuals and ethnic minorities but oppose the reservation for the descendants of liberation war heroes.
They argue that granting reservations to the third generation of these heroes is unfair and detrimental to merit-based students, and they believe this system should be abolished.
The Supreme Court of Bangladesh had imposed a four-week stay on the High Court's order and instructed the Chief Justice to tell protesters to end their demonstrations and return to their classrooms.
The Supreme Court stated it would decide on the matter after four weeks. Despite this, the student protests continued unabated.
The situation in Bangladesh deteriorated further, with reports of arson, violence, and ongoing demonstrations.
Eventually, the conditions escalated to the point where Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was forced to leave the country.