More protests in Bangladesh. This time against prime minister demanding justice for 200 people killed in violence

DHAKA, Bangladesh — Protests against Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her government continued in Bangladesh on Friday, seeking justice for more than 200 people killed in violent demonstrations last month, despite announced reforms to the country’s job quota system that have sparked weeks of protests.

More than 2,000 protesters gathered in parts of the capital Dhaka, some shouting “down with the autocrat” and chanting slogans for justice for the victims as police officers circled them.

Police clashed with dozens of students in Dhaka’s Uttara district, while security officers fired tear gas and stun grenades to disperse stone-throwing protesters.

They were the latest round of demonstrations against Hasina, whose government has been battered by student protests that show no signs of abating.

Analysts say a peaceful student demonstration against a quota system for allocating civil service jobs has turned into a bloody and extraordinary revolt against Hasina, whose 15-year rule over the country is now being tested like never before.

Since violence erupted on July 15, the protests have become a major crisis for the 76-year-old, who retained power for a fourth consecutive term in January despite an election boycott by her main opponents that made the election result all but certain even before the votes were counted.

Authorities have shut down the internet and imposed a curfew to deal with the violent demonstrations. Schools and universities remain closed.

The protesters’ deaths have rocked Bangladesh, as social media videos showed violent clashes between security forces and students, with officers firing bullets and tear gas. In one incident, a six-year-old girl was shot while playing on a rooftop as her father tried to shield her from the gunfire.

It all started with students, frustrated by the lack of good jobs, who demanded an end to a quota system for government jobs that they said was discriminatory, under which 30 percent of such jobs were reserved for relatives of veterans who fought in Bangladesh’s 1971 war of independence against Pakistan. They said this benefited supporters of Hasina, whose Awami League party led the independence movement, and they wanted it replaced by a merit-based system.

The Supreme Court responded by reducing the veterans’ quota to 5%. But anger and protests have continued to grow. Experts say they reflect a much larger public fury against the government, economic discontent and, ultimately, an uprising against Hasina herself, even as her development agenda has brought solace to the people.

“There have been many protests in the last 15 years of the Awami League government, but none as large, long and violent as this one,” said Michael Kugelman, director of the South Asia Institute at the Wilson Center in Washington.

That’s because this time, he added, there was a perfect storm of an unpopular quota system, a brutal government response that turned deadly, pent-up anger at the state and growing economic stress for most citizens. And the government’s often brutal tactics of suppressing protests with a mix of force and negotiation have only “inflamed the protests rather than quelled them,” Kugelman said.

The turmoil has also underscored the scale of economic discontent in Bangladesh, once lauded for its growth successes. Like other countries, the country has been hit by the pandemic and the war in Ukraine, which have driven up commodity prices. Exports are now down, foreign exchange reserves are drying up and remittances are running low. The slowdown has underscored the lack of good-quality jobs for young graduates, who are increasingly opting for more stable and lucrative government jobs.

For many students, that was what drove them onto the streets — but the government’s brutal response kept them there, even as the quota system was scaled back. Groups of students, teachers and civil society members say they are now fighting for justice for those killed, while Hasina’s political opponents are demanding her resignation.

Mohammad Rakib Uddin, an 18-year-old college student, was protesting along with hundreds of others when bullets pierced his hip. Uddin says he was wearing his college uniform and survived because his friends took him to the hospital.

“They attacked us brutally and inhumanly. We are ordinary students – we have no weapons, bombs, not even a stick in our hands. We protested, holding only flags,” he said. “Many of those who were with me could have died when they were shot in the waist and head. By the grace of the Almighty, I am alive,” he added.

However, the government reported that opposition activists and their armed units, together with students, attacked security officers and state institutions.

The violence has, for the most part, subsided and normalcy is slowly returning to the country. The curfew has been eased, the internet has been restored, and banks and offices have opened their doors.

However, the unrest surrounding Hasina continues, sparking international outrage from the United Nations and the United States.

Her critics say the recent weeks of violent unrest have been the result of her authoritarian nature and hunger for control, no matter the cost. For years, her political opponents have accused her of an anti-democratic pattern, as her government has imprisoned thousands of them. Global human rights groups have accused her of using security forces and the courts to suppress dissent and opposition, a charge the government has denied.

Still, Hasina has resorted to blaming the two main opposition parties — which have backed the students — for fueling the violence. Her government on Thursday banned one of them, Jamaat-e-Islami, its student wing and other affiliated organizations, a move that could again flare tensions.

Kugelman, however, does not believe that her political survival is in danger.

“But it has suffered a huge reputational cost and faces unprecedented political vulnerability. This could come back to haunt it if there are new waves of anti-government protests in the coming weeks or months,” he added.

The question many citizens are now asking is: when will Bangladesh return to normality?

Nur Sharmin, a 35-year-old mother, says her family’s life has come to a standstill. Her 16-year-old daughter’s school is closed and she worries about her future. Sharmin is afraid to leave the house most days.

“Everything has changed after all these terrible incidents,” she said. “I just want to live like a normal citizen in a safe environment. My daughter needs a safe country to grow up in, it’s her right. We’re not asking for much.”

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AP video journalist Al Emrun Garjon contributed to this report.