Soon after returning to Dhaka after an official visit to China, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government faced a major challenge due to the students' agitation on the issue of quotas (reservation) in government jobs. Their ire was directed at the 30 percent quota reserved for the progeny of the “Muktijodhhas” or Freedom Fighters of the 1971 Liberation War that gave birth to Bangladesh as we know it today.
The main grouse is the continuation of this quota even after 53 years of independence. Government jobs are highly coveted, both for job security and status. Though not entirely similar, it is tempting to compare it with the agitation by students in the 1990s which roiled India, on the reservations in jobs and educational institutions, for the Other Backward Classes (OBCs) recommended by the Mandal Commission.
The mounting death toll in violent clashes between the anti and pro-government students’ groups, and between the police and the anti-government protestors, spread across the country like wildfire. This forced a clampdown by the security forces, an imposition of a nationwide curfew, and the deployment of the army to deter further riots. Internet services have been blocked, increasing the public’s frustration and anger. There has been large-scale damage to public and private property. Hasina had to cancel a scheduled visit to Spain and Brazil.