Police officer Bachchu Mia from the Dhaka Medical College and Hospital told AA that three more people had died in the protests. One person also died in the Savar area outside Dhaka. The number of people who lost their lives in the protests that began after quotas were allocated to families of those who participated in the War of Independence in public sector rose to 201. The Prothom Alo newspaper reported that most of those who died had bullet marks on their bodies
More than 4,500 People Detained in the Last 8 Days
More than 4,500 people have been detained in the past eight days, including 1,400 yesterday, most of them members of the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Party.
Background to the Protests
Protests began in Bangladesh following the decision to allocate public quotas to the children of those who served in the 1971 War of Independence. On July 16, the protests intensified as a result of attacks and interventions by members of the Awami League Party, led by Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wajid, and its student wing, the Bangladesh Students Union, as well as by the police on university campuses .
On July 21, the Bangladesh Supreme Court reduced the quota to be allocated to the families of those who participated in the War of Independence from 30 percent to 5 percent, and ruled that 2 percent of the total quota would be allocated to ethnic minorities and disabled individuals, and 93 percent would be allocated based on merit.
Latest Situation and Developments
Bangladeshi Justice Minister Enesul Haq stated that the curfew imposed due to the protests would be gradually lifted as tensions eased, and subsequently some workplaces and official institutions in the country began providing limited services.
