Di capital of Bangladesh, Dhaka dey in di middle of near-total internet blackout as violent clash between students and di police dey continue.
Plenti thousands of protesters don storm di state broadcaster BTV wey dey destroy furniture, smash windows wia dem set some parts on fire.
Informate minister for Bangladesh tok di BBC say di protest stop dia TV broadcast as most of di workers comot di building.
One post for BTV dia official Facebook page warn say “many” odas don dey trapped inside di building.
Senior BTV journalist wia neva want make dem sabi im name tok di BBC: “Di situation dey so bad, we neva get option but to comot di place. Some of our colleagues don trap for inside. I neva sabi wetin happun to dem.”
So why dis tin dey happun? Dis be three tins we sabi:
1. Di prime minister im speech fail to calm di situation
Pipo tink say di Prime minister im public address go calm di violence wey dey go on – but e be like dat neva work, sake of di students don dey call for complete nationwide shutdown.
Security forces don fire tear gas and rubber bullet to scatter di crowds for several places wia at least 25 pipo die – many oda pipo don hurt.
Alim Khan wey identify imsef as student of one private university tok BBC Bangla’s Akbar Hossain say di prime minister im speech neva dey acceptable to dem.
Alim Khan tok, “Di prime minister dey tok di students say make dem calm down for one side, wia di police, BGB (The Border Guard of Bangladesh), Chhatra League (di student wing of di ruling party) don take stand against di students. Dis na di goment im double standards.”
As di day don dey end wit internet blackout and high security alert for di kontri, di minister for law, Anisul Haque release one statement wey tok say goment dey ready to tok.
Goment reach consensus for quota reform – di demand of di students wey don dey protest.
But di students feel say dis offer don come too late: di prime minister im speech on Wednesday neva mention any offer of negotiation – instead im tok say make di students wait to achieve dia aims for di courts.
We dey reject di proposal for discussion, Nahid Islam one of di coordinators of di quota reform protests, don post for Facebook:
“Di goment don make di wahala worse as dem try to use violence for a peaceful movement. Dis now be di responsibility of di goment. Dem neva leave room for negotiation.
“If dem no remove di law-and-order officers from di streets, if dem no open di halls, campus and educational institutions, if dem continue to dey fire, den di goment gatz to take responsibility,” im write.
2. Dem remove students for di campuses wit force
Afta six pipo die for clashes across di kontri dis week, schools, colleges and universities don close indefinitely.
- Five tins wey happun for Kenya bloody Tuesday protests
- Why university students dey protest across America
- Di Kenya tax proposals wey cause protests
Campus authorities now order say make di students comot di hostels and dormitories – but di students oppose dis move.
Na so police begin to raid di campuses, dem fire tear gas and rubber bullet to force di students say make dem comot – dis operation don last for many hours wey plenti pipo hurt.
Shafat Rahman wey be student for di Dhaka University tok say campus authorities say dem no go dey responsible for wetin happun during di raids:
“Everyone comot di hall sake of dis intimidation.”
“Yesterday around 6:30 pm, di hall authorities tok say di time don reach. Dem tok say – go down now or di police go raid. Wey di administration no go dey responsibility for di result…” im tok.
Di goment don use aggressive tactics like dis to clear campuses for di past wia dis time e don work as di protesters neva fit gather for large numbers for campuses – but dis neva last.
Thursday na di bloodiest day so far for di protest wit at least 25 pipo wey die as students of private universities and odas continue to dey protest.
Asif Mahmud wey be one of di coordinators for dis protest tok BBC Bangla, “students from private universities don attend di movement today. Public students neva fit sake of di campuses dey under police control.
3. Di protests now be about more dan just di quotas
Many pipo believe say di violence neva be about di quota anymore wey dat na expression of anger wey young pipo don bottle up ova di past few decades.
According to di Asian development bank, 18.7% of di kontri population don dey live below di national poverty line for 2022, while nearly 6% of di population wey dey employed get purchasing power below $2.15 per day.
Di protests for quota reform don begin about two weeks ago witout violence.
At dat point di ruling party student league – Chhatra League neva dey involved.
Bur di movement don turn violent afta di PM don tok bad tins about di protesters.
Her speech for Wednesday don add more fuel to di fire.
“On one hand, dem attack di students, on anoda hand she dey try to manage di situation wit speech. Dem dey contradict diasef,” one political sabi pesin Mohiuddin Ahmad don tok.
However, Professor Sadeka Halim, political analyst and Jagganath University Vice-Chancellor feel say di prime minister no fit tok anytin more for im speech sake of di mata dey bifor di Supreme Court.
“As di head of di goment, im give clear indication say di court case neva go go against di students,” she tok.
- Evan Gershkovich: Russia don jail American journalist on top accuse of espionage
- Bangladesh women no need to declare if dem be ‘virgin’ again
