Bangladesh intensifies security vigil amid call for fresh protests

Dhaka: The Bangladesh Army and paramilitary troops on Monday patrolled the streets of the capital Dhaka while police in riot gear enforced a strict vigil as a faction of the protesting students overnight called a new round of protests after six of their coordinators announced the withdrawal of the demonstrations.

“We have mobilised forces to prevent fresh violence,” a police official said.

Witnesses and live TV footage showed the security forces guarding major points in the capital with military and police armoured personnel carriers patrolling the streets alongside the paramilitary Border Guard Bangladesh.

A group of students called for new street protests on Monday after six of their leaders in an appearance before the media overnight announced the withdrawal of the street demonstrations as their demand for reforms in the quota system was met by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government following a Supreme Court order.

The protests subsided after the apex Appellate Division of unitary Bangladesh’s Supreme Court on July 21 ordered a massive quota reform, keeping only seven per cent of reserve posts instead of the existing 56 per cent.

The government subsequently issued a Gazette notification in line with the order saying 93 per cent of jobs would be open to candidates on merit.

"Our main demand for logical reforms to the government job quota system has been met," student coordinator Nahid Islam on Sunday said in a video message, calling for educational institutions to re-open.

However, other students, calling for new protest, claimed their leaders were forced to announce while in police custody. Meanwhile, the government ignored an ultimatum to release their leaders and apologise for those killed in deadly unrest.

A nationwide curfew gripped Bangladesh last week, and the government called in the army to quell protests against job quotas that killed more than 200 persons across the country.

The protests, which started in universities and colleges earlier this month, quickly turned into a more widespread agitation against Hasina and her government.

The unrest has left several thousand people, including policemen, wounded and major government installations damaged.

The mass circulation Prothom Alo newspaper, however, cited 210 deaths, 113 of them being children. Most others were juveniles and youths.

The newspaper said at least 9,000 people were arrested nationwide since the beginning of the unrest.

The government leaders said the peaceful and issue-specific students' movement was not involved in violence and attributed the anarchy to the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) party and their student activists backed by the main Opposition outside parliament Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) of ex-premier Khaleda Zia.

The BNP had boycotted the January 7 elections.

The unrest significantly impacted Bangladesh's economy with the Foreign Investors Chamber of Commerce and Industries (FICCI) estimating the economic impact to be around $10 billion and rising.

President of the country’s apex business chambers, Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industries (FBCCI), Mahbubul Alam, said the major export-earning garment industries alone incurred losses of Bangladeshi Taka 6,4000,000 (Rs 4.56 crore).

Bangladeshi authorities said they restored internet services in the country after a 10-day disconnection of both mobile internet and the key social media platform as the situation returned to normal following the disbandment of the protests.

However, the resumption of mobile internet on Sunday failed to relieve tens of thousands of F-commerce sellers, who rely on Facebook to sell their goods and services, were yet to resume.