SAR’s Academic Freedom Monitoring Project investigates and reports attacks on higher education with the aim of raising awareness, generating advocacy, and increasing protection for scholars, students, and academic communities. Starting July 1, 2026, SAR no longer publishes reports for the incidents that it records. SAR continues to monitor and record incidents that will be used in the annual Free to Think report. This page provides a record of incidents reported up to that date. Learn more about the Academic Freedom Monitoring Project.

Date of Incident: July 17, 2024

Attack Types: Killings, Violence, Disappearances

Institution(s):Multiple Institutions

Region & Country:Southern Asia | Bangladesh

New or Ongoing:New Incident

On July 17, 2024, students affiliated with the quota reform movement clashed with police on the Dhaka-Chittagong highway.

Earlier in the day, student protesters blocked the Dhaka-Chittagong highway. Towards the evening, police attempted to disperse the protesters, using teargas and rubber bullets. Clashes broke out, and student protesters threw bricks at police and set fire to toll plaza booths and tires. Six people, including several bystanders, were taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital with injuries, including bullet wounds. The clashes prompted violence that continued in the area for the next five days.

The violence occurred against the backdrop 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.

Scholars at Risk is concerned about the use of force during a student protest. While state authorities have the responsibility to maintain order and prevent disruption, they must refrain from the disproportionate use of force and endangerment of civilians and must respect the right to freedom of association and freedom of expression. Students and members of the public must refrain from violence, especially on campus, and also respect the right to freedom of association and freedom of expression. Such actions, beyond harming the immediate victims, have a chilling effect on academic freedom.

Sources:
*SAR identified this incident in data made publicly available by the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED)
https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/352451/violent-clash-erupts-at-shanir-akhra-6-sustain
https://en.prothomalo.com/bangladesh/city/nqzruz1jot
https://en.prothomalo.com/bangladesh/city/bhlkiao0dl
https://en.somoynews.tv/news/2024-07-18/LDJStYMu
https://thefinancialexpress.com.bd/national/quota-protests-students-police-clash-at-shanir-akhra
https://bdnews24.com/bangladesh/4f92444f768c