Student leaders in Bangladesh rallied the public on Saturday, calling for a nationwide civil disobedience campaign as Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s administration faced increasing backlash over a deadly police crackdown on demonstrators.
Last month, protests against civil service job quotas erupted into chaos, resulting in the deaths of over 200 people in some of the most severe unrest during Hasina’s 15-year tenure.
Although troop deployments briefly restored order, massive crowds took to the streets again after Friday prayers, responding to student leaders’ calls for further government concessions.
The group Students Against Discrimination, which organized the initial protests, urged citizens to launch a full-scale non-cooperation movement starting Sunday. “This includes non-payment of taxes and utility bills, strikes by government workers, and a halt to overseas remittance payments through banks,” stated Asif Mahmud, a representative of the group, to a private news outlet.
The students are demanding a public apology from Hasina for the violence last month and the dismissal of several ministers. They also insist that the government reopen schools and universities nationwide, which were closed during the height of the unrest.
Protesters have taken their demands further, calling for Hasina’s resignation. “She must go because we don’t need this authoritarian government,” said Nijhum Yasmin, 20, during a protest in Dhaka on Saturday.
Prime Minister Hasina offered “unconditional dialogue” with the students to address their demands, her press secretary Nayeemul Islam Khan told a private news outlet. “She is ready to sit with them. She does not want conflict anymore,” he added. However, Mahmud reported that the students had rejected this offer.
Hasina, 76, has led Bangladesh since 2009 and secured her fourth consecutive election victory in January, a vote criticized for lacking genuine opposition. Her government has been accused by rights groups of misusing state institutions to maintain power and suppress dissent, including the extrajudicial killing of opposition activists.
The demonstrations began in early July over the reintroduction of a quota scheme, which was later scaled back by Bangladesh’s top court, that reserved more than half of all government jobs for certain groups. With approximately 18 million young Bangladeshis unemployed, according to government figures, the move angered graduates facing a severe employment crisis.
The protests remained largely peaceful until police and pro-government student groups attacked demonstrators. In response, Hasina’s government imposed a nationwide curfew, deployed troops, and shut down the mobile internet network for 11 days to restore order.
International condemnation followed the clampdown, with European Union foreign policy chief Josep Borrell calling for an international investigation into the “excessive and lethal force against protesters” this week.
Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan told reporters last weekend that security forces had acted with restraint but were “forced to open fire” to protect government buildings. According to the United Nations, at least 32 children were among those killed in the violence last month.
