Tension in Bangladesh’s presidency escalated on Tuesday as protests against the government job reservation policy went up in flames. Official sources in Bangladesh reported that at least five protesters perished in fights between rival students. This bitter cycle arose in a day of protest which saw more than 400 injured persons.
The present quota system directs a major chunk of government jobs to those from the fighters of the 1971 Liberation War. Controversial though it is lapses that have been subject to criticism as a policy meant to celebrate the sacrifices of veterans exacerbates the problem by leaning heavily against many students vying for the coveted government positions. “Those who started the protest are now seeking to be employed on merit, meaning the government should employ people with education, not relatives or kinsmen.
This has aggravated the situation and what has emerged is the use of riot policemen and women in the events to subdue the situation all across the universities. As mentioned in the sources collected from Rangpur, a city in north-western part of Bangladesh, the authorities have employed tear gas and rubber bullets to control the protesters.
The government of Bangladesh has remained defensive on the quota system up to this time. These ongoing protests seek to bring the nation to disarray, thus showing the society’s vulnerability to addressing the heroes’ sacrifices while avoiding the economic future of inappropriate employment competition for youngsters.