All India Students’ Association (AISA) has strongly condemned the brutal violence against students and youth in Bangladesh that took place on July 16, in which six students were killed. AISA national president Nilasis Bose said that “when thousands of students hit their universities and their streets demanding a complete strike down of the discriminatory quota system in government jobs, they were met with violent State repression, not just by the police, but also the Bangladesh Chhatra League, the student wing of the ruling party Awami League, who have attacked students with rods, sticks and rocks.”
The students and youth are protesting against a job quota system that allows for 30% reservation in government jobs, for the children of freedom fighters of the 1971 war of independence. While there are reservations for women, indigenous communities, people with disabilities and others, the students are specifically opposing the quota for children of war veterans, terming it to be discriminatory and not based on merit. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina arrogantly labelled those opposing the quota as “razakar” – a term used for those who allegedly collaborated with the Pakistani army during the 1971 war – which prompted more widespread protests.
Bangladesh, which has failed to generate more secure and dignified government jobs, pushed its youth to the brink when it introduced this policy in 2018, which was met with protests at the time and came to be challenged before court. The Bangladesh High Court recently upheld this discriminatory policy, which triggered the protests.
AISA noted that the lack of dignified jobs and unemployment resonates with the students and youth of India, who too are facing unprecedented challenges such as unemployment, lack of recruitment, paper leaks, massive privatization, contractualisation of jobs, sale of PSUs, among others.
AISA along with several students’ organisations from Sri Lanka, Australia, Britain, Pakistan and Nepal issued a joint statement expressing their solidarity with the fighting students and youth of Bangladesh, especially the student leaders of Socialist Students’ Front, who are being hounded and arrested, in their just demand to strike down discriminatory employment policy, in ensuring dignified and secure employment.
