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 18, 2024

Attack Types: Killings, Violence, Disappearances

Institution(s):Shahjalal University of Sust

Region & Country:Southern Asia | Bangladesh

New or Ongoing:New Incident

On July 18, 2024, police clashed with students protesting as part of the anti-quota reform movement in front of Shahjalal University of Sust (SUST).

During the morning of July 18, protesting students blocked the Sylhet-Sunamganj highway, refusing to leave when police arrived. Police shot at the students with rubber bullets, while protesters threw stones and bricks at police. A number of students and police officers were injured in the clash.

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/nation/352479/sust-students-block-sylhet-sunamganj-road
https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/news/several-injured-clash-between-police-sust-students-3659596
https://sylhetmirror.com/2024/07/18/sust-students-deny-to-vacate-halls-protest-continues/