Bangladesh: Student protests spread countrywide

Event

Tens of thousands of students marched in cities across Bangladesh on Wednesday, April 11, in mass protests rarely seen on such a scale in this South Asian country. In the capital Dhaka, demonstrators blockaded major roads, bringing traffic to a standstill, and swarmed Dhaka University. Police were deployed to the university campus, where clashes in recent days have left more than 100 students injured. In Chittagong, Bangladesh's second-largest city, students blocked a railway track. Disruptions also occurred in Khulna, Barisal, Kushtia, Comilla, Mymensingh, and Gopalganj.

Context

Students are demanding the government significantly reduce the number of top positions set aside for minority groups and the disabled. Students are also opposed to the 30 percent of government positions reserved for descendants of veterans of Bangladesh's 1971 war of independence. The authorities have promised to review the quota system.

Advice

As a precautionary measure, individuals present in Bangladesh are advised to stay away from all public gatherings, rallies, and marches due to the risk of violence and to adhere to any instructions issued by local authorities.