Two dice and thousands injured in crackdown on Bangladesh student protests.

At least two individuals perished and thousands were injured following the deployment of teargas by police into crowds of protesting students, with paramilitary forces dispatched nationwide.

The protests initially erupted on university campuses throughout Bangladesh a fortnight ago, with tens of thousands of students demanding the abolition of "unreasonable and discriminatory quotas" for government jobs.

These quotas, which allocate 30% of jobs to family members of veterans who fought in Bangladesh’s 1971 war of independence, were abolished in 2018 but reinstated this month following a court order.

The reintroduction of quotas sparked outrage among students, who argue that Bangladesh's job market is already highly competitive due to rampant unemployment, inflation, and a struggling economy. With the private sector shrinking, government jobs, seen as the most secure and desirable, are heavily restricted, with 50% reserved through quotas.

Although the supreme court temporarily halted the new quota ruling last week, students vowed to continue protesting until they were permanently revoked. Many blocked highways and railways, and breached police barriers to stage demonstrations in the congested capital, Dhaka.

Violence erupted on Monday night when police and members of the Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL), the student wing of the ruling Awami League party, armed with batons, teargas, machetes, bamboo rods, and hockey sticks, attacked the protesting students.

In Dhaka, police fired teargas and charged at the demonstrators, while pro-government groups assaulted them, resulting in injuries to thousands. Paramilitary forces were also deployed across the country.

The violence escalated on Tuesday as campuses nationwide turned into battlegrounds, resulting in at least two deaths confirmed by the Guardian. Local media reported five fatalities.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina further aggravated the situation by referring to the protesting students with the derogatory term "Razakars," which historically means collaborators with the Pakistani enemy during the 1971 war of independence.

“If the grandchildren of freedom fighters don’t receive quota benefits, should the grandchildren of Razakars?” Hasina said.

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