Bangladesh is in turmoil as thousands of university students protest against job inequality and poverty, demanding the removal of government job quotas. The situation has escalated into deadly clashes, with six people reported dead and many injured. In response, the government has shut down the country’s mobile internet to stifle further organizing and unrest. The blackout follows the reinstatement of a controversial job quota system by the High Court, which reserves 56% of government positions for specific groups. The severe measures have sparked outrage and concern, with the country’s internet now nearly completely cut off.
Weeks of social unrest have shaken Bangladesh, as hundreds of university students are protesting against poverty, injustice, and job insecurity in the South Asian nation. This week’s upheaval got worse, prompting the government to turn off the country’s internet to stop more student organizing and disturbance.
The nation’s junior minister of telecommunications, Zunaid Ahmed Palak, confirmed to AFP News that the country’s mobile internet network was out nationwide on Thursday. The shutdown, he claimed, was necessary to “ensure the security of citizens.”
In a post on X, internet observer Netblocks stated at approximately 12:45 ET that Bangladesh “is now amid a near-total national internet shutdown.”
“The new measure follows earlier efforts to throttle social media and restrict mobile data services, and comes amid reports of rising deaths at student protests,” Netblocks said.
The unrest, which has turned deadly, started at the beginning of the month, according to Al Jazeera English, with “university students protesting across the country to demand the removal of quotas in government jobs after the High Court reinstated a rule that reserves nearly one-third of posts for the descendants.”
Here are further specifics concerning the quota system that has caused such confusion, as reported by Al Jazeera:
Following the High Court’s ruling in June, 56 percent of government jobs are now reserved for specific groups, including children and grandchildren of freedom fighters, women, and people from “backward districts.”
Student protesters have clashed with police and members of Bangladesh Chhatra League, a student wing of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s governing Awami League party.
Six people have been killed and hundreds of others injured.
Director of the Wilson Center’s South Asia Institute Michael Kugelman said to Al Jazeera, “Look at who is protesting.”
“It’s not just a case of grassroots demonstrations led by the poor. These are university students most of whom are above working class … The fact that you have so many students who are so angry speaks to the desperation of finding jobs. They may not be desperately poor, but they still need to find good, stable jobs.”
On X, a disturbing video of the disturbances has been posted.
In the meanwhile, there may be disruptions at every call center in the nation that serves American consumers.
Bangladesh’s neighbors, India and Myanmar, rank among the top nations with regular internet outages and restrictions, according to a new Statista research by Katharina Buchholz.
Last month, GreatGameInternational reported that Nairobi erupted into chaos as angry Kenyans protested harsh new taxes and an eco-austerity program, leading to the burning of the parliament building.
