On August 3, 2024, students protesting as part of the anti-discrimination student movement clashed with members of Bangladesh’s then-ruling party’s Awami League in Naogaon. Police reportedly used rubber bullets to disperse the protesters. Around 10 people were injured.
The protesters gathered to demand justice for those killed, injured, and arrested in recent protests, as well as other anti-discrimination movement demands. As they marched near the Awami League party office, members of the Awami League and the affiliated Jubo and Chhatra Leagues reportedly threw pieces of brick at the protesters. Protesters responded by also throwing pieces of brick and by vandalizing the Awami League’s office. Police responded to the scene, reportedly using rubber bullets to disperse the group.
The violence took place 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/353536/students-block-road-in-naogaon-over-nine-point
https://www.tbsnews.net/bangladesh/7-hurt-police-fire-5-rounds-disperse-protesters-naogaon-909051