India expresses concern over Bangladesh's deadly anti-reservation protests that killed over 100

With over 100 people killed in Bangladesh's protests, primarily involving students opposing job quotas, New Delhi has expressed concern over the escalating violence, but refrained from commenting further, considering it an internal matter.

Talking to news agency ANI, Minister of State for External Affairs, Kirti Vardhan Singh, referred to the ongoing protests as an internal matter of Bangladesh but expressed concern over the situation.

New Delhi has treaded caution on the turmoil because it sees Hasina as one of the “most reliable” leaders in the neighborhood. She was also the first head of state to visit India in the third term of the Modi government.

"This is a worrying issue. Students' issues should always be heard, and we are hopeful that the Bangladesh government will resolve this matter soon," Singh told ANI.

The Commission has asked Indian nationals in Bangladesh to avoid travel and minimize their movement.

The anti-reservation protests that started a few weeks ago have resulted in over 100 fatalities after protesters clashed with activists of the Bangladesh Chhatra League, the student wing of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League party.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar also said that Ministry of External Affairs is committed to ensuring the security and well being of Indian nationals in Bangladesh.

On July 19, the Sheikh Hasina-led government imposed a nationwide curfew that has been extended till 3 pm on July 21. Army has also been deployed in hopes of maintaining law and order. However, the raging violence has prompted fears of further unrest.

Police in the violence-hit country has been ordered to "shoot-on-sight" to quell protests. The mobile internet networks have also been shut down across several parts of the country while schools and universities are shut indefinitely.

Only emergency services are permitted in the country and Sunday (July 21), Monday(July 22) have been declared public holidays.

Amid curfew and an internet shutdown, the Indian High Commission in Bangladesh has facilitated the return of 978 Indians — 778 through land borders and another 200-odd through flights, the Ministry of External Affairs said on July 20.

The first batch of 245 Indians returned on the night of July 19. The MEA is closely coordinating with local authorities and agencies including civil aviation, immigration, land ports, and the Border Security Force (BSF), to facilitate the safe return of Indian nationals and provide necessary assistance to those who are still stuck there.

"Thus far, 778 Indian students have returned to India through various land ports. In addition, around 200 students have returned home by regular flight services through Dhaka and Chittagong airports," said the MEA.

"Many students had booked air tickets. But since there is a curfew in place, they could not make it to the airport. Several flights were also cancelled. There are still many Indian students in hostels at universities where the atmosphere is still peaceful," an Indian student who returned from Bangladesh told NDTV.

Many of the students who have returned were pursuing MBBS degrees and belong to states like Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Meghalaya, Jammu and Kashmir. Necessary assistance is also being provided to students from Nepal and Bhutan as they requested to cross into India.

Around 15,000 Indians including 8,500 students are currently residing in Bangladesh. “We remain committed to providing all possible assistance to our nationals in Bangladesh,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said.

The protests in Bangladesh are mainly held by University students, who are demanding a complete reformation of the job allocation system.

The protests took an ugly turn after PM Hasina gave an inflammatory statement on July 14, saying “If the grandchildren of the freedom fighters don’t get quota benefits, should the grandchildren of Razakars get the benefit?” which further enraged young protesters.

The term "Razakars" rooted in history, holds a negative connotation and refers to the East Pakistani volunteer force that opposed the creation of Bangladesh as a sovereign nation during its 1971 War of Independence.

The point of conflict lies in reservation in public sector jobs, which allocates a significant portion of government jobs to the relatives of war heroes who fought for the country's independence from Pakistan in 1971.

According to the student protesters, these are discriminatory as they benefit families of the ruling Awami League who take the credit of freedom movement.

Unemployment is a raging issue in Bangladesh, where 40% of youth are neither working nor in university. Notably, about 4 lakh candidates apply for some 2,000-3,000 government jobs every year. The protesters want the job quotas to be scrapped as 30% of the jobs are reserved for families of Bangladesh freedom fighters. They want a merit-based system instead of the existing quota.

PM Hasina has also defended the quota system, affirming that freedom fighters deserve the highest respect for their contributions to the war, irrespective of their political affiliation.

Under the total 56% reservation of government jobs for various quotas, 30% are for families of freedom fighters, 10% are for women, 10% are for people from underdeveloped districts, 5% are for indigenous communities, and 1% is for persons with disabilities.

In 2018, the quota system was abolished by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina following mass student protests. However, in June this year, Bangladesh's High Court reinstated the quotas after relatives of 1971 veterans filed petitions.

Although the Supreme Court has suspended the High Court’s reinstatement of the quotas after a government appeal, PM Hasina's refusal to meet the students' demands, citing ongoing court proceedings, has been fueling the unrest.

The matter is slated to be heard on August 7, when the government will challenge the High Court ruling.