As students in Bangladesh continue their movement against the Sheikh Hasina government, the impact was also felt in the other Bengal. Students and youths in Kolkata have taken to the streets to show their solidarity to their counterparts in Bangladesh.
At least 39 people have died so far in Bangladesh where thousands of students and youths are violently protesting over a quota system in government jobs. Protesters are demanding the abolishment of the quota system that reserves up to 30% of government jobs for the family members of veterans from Bangladesh’s 1971 war of independence against Pakistan.
READ HERE | Why Bangladesh students are protesting against quota system for govt jobs
The Bangladeshi government has responded to the movement with an iron fist. In recent days, images have emerged of protesters armed with rocks and stones clashing with riot police across Bangladesh, including in Dhaka. Additionally, the government has shut down mobile internet services to suppress the demonstrations.
To condemn the deaths and show their support to their counterparts in Bangladesh, students and youths have been holding rallies for the last two days in Kolkata. They raised slogans against Sheikh Hasina, Bangladesh’s ruling party Awami Lague and its student wing Chhatro League.
On Thursday, about 100 protesters, waving Bangladesh’s national flag, assembled in the Academy of Fine Arts area, the cultural hub of Kolkata. With posters and banners, they wanted to march to the Bangladesh Deputy High Commission office.
One of the posters said, “Respect Existence or Expect Resistance”, while another read, “My sister has been martyred. My brother has been martyred. Mass murderer Sheikh Hasina will not be spared.”
“As a student, it is my responsibility to raise my voice against the fascist government of Sheikh Hasina. She has killed my Bengali brothers and sisters,” said Piya Banerjee, 18, a student at Jadavpur University. “The 30% reservation system for third fourth generation descendants of Muktijoddhas is not justified at all. It’s not like their community faced centuries of oppression.”
Human rights organisation APDR also took part in the rally. “We condemn the killing of innocent students and youths in Bangladesh. Sheikh Hasina government's complete violation of human rights must be called out,” said APDR member Altaf Ahmed.
The event, though, took a heated turn when the police halted the march on AJC Bose Road, a few hundred meters from its starting point. The protesters then clashed with the police, trying to make their way beyond the barricades put to prevent them.
Most of the demonstrators were detained and transported in police vans. Some protesters then staged a sit-in, demanding the release of their companions. However, the police quickly defused the situation and cleared the remaining protesters within minutes.
