DHAKA – The government of Bangladesh has declared a national day of mourning on July 30 to honor the victims of the recent nationwide unrest, a move that has sparked criticism from student groups who see it as a diversion from accountability for the violence.
The unrest, which erupted in early July over civil service job quotas, led to some of the deadliest clashes in recent memory, resulting in at least 206 fatalities, including several police officers, based on an AFP tally of police and hospital reports.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government has since quelled the violence through extensive arrests, military deployments, and a temporary nationwide internet shutdown, which was lifted on July 28. The administration has stated that the day of mourning will be observed with prayers in mosques across the country, reflecting on the loss of lives, destruction of property, and “terrorist activities” during the upheaval.
However, Students Against Discrimination, the organization behind the initial protests, condemned the government’s declaration. They argue that it is a ploy to shift the blame away from police actions and avoid addressing the root causes of the protests.
“Instead of ensuring justice for the mass murders committed by the state forces, students (have been) cruelly mocked,” Mahin Sarker, one of the group’s coordinators, said in a statement.
The crackdown following the unrest has led to over 10,000 arrests, according to the Daily Star newspaper. This has drawn severe criticism from human rights organizations, which accuse the government of attempting to silence dissent through mass arrests and arbitrary detentions.
“The mass arrest and arbitrary detention of student protesters is a witch hunt by the authorities to silence anyone who dares to challenge the government,” said Smriti Singh of Amnesty International.
The protests were initially sparked by the reintroduction of a quota system that reserves more than half of all government jobs for specific groups. With an estimated 18 million young Bangladeshis unemployed, the policy has been deeply unpopular among graduates facing a severe jobs crisis. Critics claim that the quota system is used to fill public sector positions with loyalists of the ruling Awami League.
Following the unrest, the Supreme Court reduced the number of reserved jobs, but the decision fell short of the protesters’ demands to abolish the quota system entirely.
Prime Minister Hasina, who has been in power since 2009 and secured her fourth consecutive term in a controversial election in January, has been accused of using state machinery to consolidate power and suppress opposition. Human rights groups have criticized her government for extrajudicial killings of opposition activists and other abuses.
While the protests had remained largely peaceful, violence escalated following attacks on demonstrators by police and pro-government student groups. The government has blamed opposition parties for hijacking the protests to incite unrest.