On July 18, 2024, Bangladeshi police officers shot, abused, and killed Shykh Aashhabul (also written Ashabul) Yamin, a student at the Military Institute of Science and Technology.
At the time of his killing, Yamin was participating in a quota reform movement protest in Savar. The movement was 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.
Yamin was apparently shot before being loaded onto the top of an Armored Personnel Carrier (APC). A video posted to social media and analyzed by Amnesty International and media organizations show police driving an ACP down the road, with a severely injured and unconscious Yamin on top of it. In a second video, multiple officers are seen pulling Yamin off the top of the vehicle, with Yamin’s head hitting the pavement. A third video shows officers dragging Yamin to the road’s median barriers and pushing him over the other side before driving away and leaving his body on the road. Yamin reportedly died from the injuries he sustained; according to the deputy manager of Enam Medical College Hospital, Yamin was brought to the hospital dead, with bullet wounds on his body.
On August 25, Yamin’s uncle filed a case against several police officers, including senior officials, and then-Prime Minister Hasina. The Savar Police Station registered the case eight days later, after an apparent delay.
Scholars at Risk is gravely concerned about the use of lethal force during a student protest. 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.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-further-video-and-photographic-analysis-confirm-police-unlawfully-used-lethal-and-less-lethal-weapons-against-protesters/
https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/news/student-killed-clash-between-protesters-and-police-al-activists-3659696
https://www.observerbd.com/news.php?id=488431
https://x.com/ZulkarnainSaer/status/1814231164934091263
https://www.instagram.com/daccanomics/reel/C9-hHVeCFoE/