Scores Injured in Bangladesh Clashes Over Job Quotas

Violent clashes erupted at Jahangir Nagar University in Savar, near Dhaka, as students protested against a government job quota for family members of heroes from Bangladesh's 1971 war of independence. The quota system, which was suspended in 2018, was reinstated last month by a High Court decision, restoring a 30% reservation for veterans' descendants. This decision has sparked renewed protests, with demonstrators advocating for the preservation of quotas for disabled people and ethnic minorities, but opposing the quota for war heroes' descendants.

The Supreme Court has temporarily halted the High Court's order for four weeks and is expected to make a final decision on the issue afterward. The clashes left over 50 people injured, with at least 30 suffering pellet wounds and being treated at Enam Medical College Hospital. The protests have continued despite the Supreme Court's intervention, with students demanding an overhaul of the job quota system. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's party supports maintaining the quota for the families of the 1971 war heroes, in line with the party's historical stance during the independence campaign.