Thousands rally in Bangladesh after 100 injured in student protest

DHAKA: Thousands of students across Bangladesh staged protests and sit-ins Monday after clashes at the country’s top university left at least 100 people injured.

Police fired rubber bullets and tear gas at Dhaka University students fighting what they complain are discrimiNatory quotas for government jobs in favour of special groups.It was one of the biggest protests faced by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in her decade in power.

Following the violence that erupted Sunday and continued into the early hours of Monday, classes at Dhaka University ground to a halt as thousands occupied the main square chanting “Reform, reform!” Students at state-run universities in Chittagong, Khulna, Rajshahi, Barisal, Rangpur, Sylhet and Savar also boycotted classes and staged sit-ins, police and media said. At Jahangirnagar University alone, more than 1,000 students joined the demonstrations, said Ataur Rahman, a protester in Savar where the university is located. Dhaka University students said they would continue their fight. “We won’t leave the streets unless our demands are met. This is all about dignity.

We are not afraid of bullets,” said Abdullah Bhuiyan, a 22-year-old English student. Another student, Saimon Rahman, said quotas meant young graduates missed out on government jobs: “We want a merit-based society. We want equal opportunities for all,” he said.