4,500 Indian Students Return To India As Bangladesh Boils Over Quota Protests | Updates

Dhaka: Students in Bangladesh have been protesting against the government job quotas in the country; the protests have taken a violent, deadly turn.

The death toll has crossed 130 and it continues to increase; to quell the protest, the Sheikh Hasina-government has imposed a nationwide curfew and has also given shoot-on-sight orders.

Stay tuned for all the latest updates related to the Bangladesh Protests…

Unrest in Bangladesh: Latest Updates

• 4,500 Indian students Return to India Amid Unrest 

Ministry of External Affairs said that so far, over 4500 Indian students have returned to India. The High Commission has been making arrangement for security escorts for the safe travel of Indian nationals to the border-crossing points. 500 students from Nepal, 38 from Bhutan and 1 from Maldives have also arrived in India

• Trade halted at Indo-Bangla Borders on Sunday

Trade between India and Bangladesh via land ports came to a standstill as students protests intensified in Bangladesh. 

• BSF Steps Up Vigil at India's International Borders Amid Unrest

IG Piyush Patel Purushottam Das of the BSF said that the force has taken several proactive measures to ensure the security and stability of the border areas.

• Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina Holds Meeting With Top Security Officials  

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina held a meeting with the Prime Minister's Security Adviser, Chief of the three armed forces, Cabinet Secretary & Principal Staff Officer of the Armed Forces Department and gave them instructions regarding the overall security situation in the country.

• Nearly 1,000 Indian students have returned from Bangladesh

Amid unrest, more than 740 students returned to India by land while more than 200 took flights.

• 93% of jobs to be allocated on merit, says Bangladesh SC

Supreme Court ordered that the veterans' quota be cut to 5 per cent , with 93 per cent of jobs to be allocated on merit. The remaining 2 per cent will be set aside for members of ethnic minorities and transgender and disabled people.

• 133 people killed so far in anti-quota protests

The violence in Bangladesh this week has killed 133 people so far, according to AFP.

• Shoot-on-Sight Order Imposed

Police imposed a strict curfew with a “shoot-on-sight” order across Bangladesh as military forces patrolled parts of the capital Saturday after scores were killed and hundreds injured in clashes over the allocation of civil service jobs.

• Curfew Relaxed for a Brief Period

The curfew began at midnight and was relaxed from noon to 2 p.m. for people to run essential errands, and is expected to last until 10 a.m. Sunday, allowing officers to fire on mobs in extreme cases, said lawmaker Obaidul Quader, the general secretary of the ruling Awami League party.

• Mobile and Internet Services Banned

Authorities blocked online communications by banning mobile and internet services.

• TV News Channels Off-Air, Newspaper Websites Down

Several television news channels also went off the air, and the websites of most local newspapers were down.

• Key Government Wesbites Non-Functional

Some key government websites, including Bangladesh’s central bank and the prime minister’s office, appeared to have been hacked and defaced.

• US Issues Travel Advisory for Americans

The US on Saturday issued a new travel advisory for Bangladesh, urging Americans to reconsider their travel to the South Asian country because of the ongoing civil unrest, crime and terrorism.

• Protests Against 30% Reservation in Govt Jobs

The demonstrations — called for mainly by student groups— started weeks ago to protest a quota system that reserves up to 30% of government jobs for relatives of veterans who fought in Bangladesh’s war of independence in 1971.

• Supreme Court Verdict on Job Quotas Today

A month after the High Court had reinstated the quotas, Supreme Court will be delivering its verdict on whether the job quotas should stay or must be done away with. The verdict comes out today.

• Helpline Numbers Issued for Tamilians in Bangladesh

Tamil Nadu has set up helplines for the stranded Tamils living in violence hit Bangladesh enabling a safe return, the government said. The families of Tamils living in Bangladesh are asked to contact the toll-free number +911800303793, +918069009900, +918069009901.

• Official Number of Those Injured and Killed Not Shared by Bangladesh

Bangladeshi authorities haven't shared any official numbers of those killed and injured.

• Nationwide Curfew To Be Relaxed During THIS Time Today

Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan said the curfew will be relaxed from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday for people to run essential errands.

• PM Hasina's Govt Declares Sunday-Monday as Public Holidays

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's government has declared Sunday and Monday as public holidays, with only emergency services allowed to operate.

• What Do The Bangladesh Student-Led Protests Highlight?

The chaos highlights cracks in Bangladesh's governance and economy and the frustration of young people who lack good jobs upon graduation. It also represents the biggest challenge to Hasina since she won a fourth consecutive term in office after January's elections, which were boycotted by the main opposition groups.

• Representatives of Both Sides Met To Find Solution

Representatives from both sides met late Friday in an attempt to reach a resolution and Law Minister Anisul Huq said the government was open to discussing their demands.

• Main Opposition Backs Protests

The main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party has backed the protests, vowing to organize its own demonstrations as many of its supporters have joined the student-led protests. 

• Bangladesh Nationalist Party Denies Involvement or Participation in Violence

BNC said in a statement its followers were not responsible for the violence and denied the ruling party's accusations of using the protests for political gains.

• Wait For The Verdict: PM Sheikh Hasina

Hasina has called on protesters to wait for the court's verdict.

• Bangladesh Supreme Court Scales Back Quotas

Bangladesh's Top Court Scales Back Job Quotas that sparked deadly protests in the country.

Why are Students Protesting in Bangladesh?

The protests, as mentioned earlier, are led by the students in the country and is related to the civil service job quotas in Bangladesh. 

There are a large number of students who have been demanding an end to the quota system which offers over half of civil service posts for certain groups and communities. About 30 percent of the seats have been reserved for those whose who are relatives of the veterans of the Bangladesh War with Pakistan in 1971.

Students believe that this reservation is discriminatory in nature and particularly favours the supporters of the current ruling party. 

Therefore, they are demanding recruitment on the basis of merit as these jobs provide high job security and better pay.