On July 16, 2024, police fired shotguns with birdshot ammunition at Abu Sayed, a 25-year-old student studying English at Begum Rokeya University, killing him.
Abu Sayed was one of the organizers of the quota reform movement, a set of widespread student protests that began on the campus of the University of Dhaka, after a June 5, 2024 ruling by the High Court of Bangladesh reinstating a quota system – previously abolished in 2018 – which allocated government jobs to certain favored groups. Under the system, 30% of government positions went to people who had fought in Bangladesh’s 1971 war of independence from Pakistan and their family members, creating a shortage of sought-after positions for others. The protests ultimately led to the resignation of Bangladesh’s prime minister Sheikh Hasina and the establishment of a new interim government.
Sayed’s death occurred during a protest at Begum Rokeya University, which was joined by students from multiple universities. Video clips from July 16 show Sayed standing alone in the road as objects are thrown at him and later collapsing. An Amnesty International analysis found that at least two police officers fired birdshot – an extremely dangerous and inaccurate form of ammunition that is designed for hunting – at Sayed at a close range of just 15 meters. Amnesty contended that “Sayed posed no apparent physical threat to the police” and arrived at the hospital already dead. The doctor who conducted the autopsy reported that Sayed had died from “multiple organ haemorrhaging after being hit was a bullet.” According to the director of Rangpur Medical College Hospital, fifteen other students also arrived at the hospital with injuries that day.
Scholars at Risk is gravely concerned about the use of lethal force during a student protest and the killing of a student leader. SAR offers condolences to the family and colleagues of the deceased student. While state authorities have a responsibility to maintain order and security, they also have an obligation to ensure that their actions are proportionate to the situation. In addition to the harm to the immediate victim, violence during protests undermines academic freedom and democratic society generally.
Sources:
https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/news/student-rangpur-killed-during-clash-between-police-and-protesters-3658216
https://bdnews24.com/bangladesh/87ef7e69c496
https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2024/07/what-is-happening-at-the-quota-reform-protests-in-bangladesh/
https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2024/07/bangladesh-witness-testimony-video-and-photographic-analysis-confirm-police-used-unlawful-force-against-protesters/