Update – 9:20pm:  At least 105 people are dead, according to reports by hospitals, posing a momentous challenge to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government after 15 years in office.

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Dhaka: Bangladesh has been gripped by violence this week after relentless clashes between student protesters, security officials and pro-government student activists over a quota system for government jobs.

Protest organizers say they are imposing “a complete shutdown” across Bangladesh on Thursday, except for essential services. This comes after several major universities in the country agreed to shut their doors indefinitely until tensions ease.

Here’s what we know:

What’s happened so far? The protests, which have drawn tens of thousands out on the streets, began late last month but tensions escalated on Monday when student activists at Dhaka University, the country’s largest, clashed with police and counter-protesters backed by the ruling Awami League. At least 100 people were injured in the aftermath.

The next day, as violence continued to roil campuses across Bangladesh, six people were killed. More clashes were also reported on Wednesday and Thursday and paramilitary forces were deployed to patrol the streets of major cities. Media reports said at least 19 more people died on Thursday.

In response, major universities said they will close until the situation is resolved in order to protect students.

The protesters say they will continue to demonstrate but are open to discussions with the government. More violence took place on Thursday in Dhaka and elsewhere in the country as police fired tear gas at protesters, according to police officials and local television.

Burnt building of Bangladesh bridge authority is pictured after students set it on fire amid the ongoing anti-quota protest in Dhaka on July 19, 2024.  (Photo by Munir Uz Zaman / AFP)

Why are they protesting? At the heart of the demonstrations is a quota system that reserves up to 30% of government jobs for family members of veterans who fought in Bangladesh’s 1971 war of independence against Pakistan.

Protesters want to abolish this system, which they say is discriminatory and benefits supporters of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League party, which led the independence movement. They want it replaced with a system that’s based on merit.

Even though job opportunities have grown in some parts of the private sector, many people prefer government jobs because they are seen as more stable and lucrative. But there aren’t enough to go around – each year, some 400,000 graduates compete for around 3,000 jobs in the civil service exam.

Under the quota system, government jobs are also reserved for women, disabled people and members of ethnic minorities, but students have mainly protested against jobs reserved for veterans’ families.

What does the government say? Hasina has defended the quota system, saying that veterans deserve the highest respect for their contributions in the war regardless of their political affiliation.

Her government has also accused the main opposition parties, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party and the right wing Jamaat-e-Islami party, of fueling chaos. The BNP has backed the students’ calls for shutdown on Thursday.

Anti-quota protesters clash with the police in Dhaka on July 18, 2024. Bangladesh woke on July 19 to survey destruction left by the deadliest day of ongoing student protests so far, which saw government buildings torched by demonstrators and a nationwide internet blackout put into effect. (Photo by AFP)

On Wednesday, authorities also raided the headquarters of the BNP and arrested several activists from the party’s student wing.

The clashes come months after Hasina maintained power in an election that was boycotted by opposition parties and saw opposition members jailed ahead of the polls.

Why are the students protesting now? This isn’t the first time there’s been uproar over this issue. In 2018, Hasina’s government halted the quotas after mass student protests.

However, the High Court nullified that decision last month and reinstated the quotas after relatives of the 1971 veterans filed petitions, sparking the latest round of protests. The Supreme Court suspended that decision and promised to rule on the issue on August 7. Despite this, the protests have persisted.

“I am requesting all to wait with patience until the verdict is delivered,” Hasina said in a televised address Wednesday evening. “I believe our students will get justice from the apex court. They will not be disappointed.”

What could happen next? The furore has also highlighted cracks in Bangladesh’s governance and economy following the pandemic and global upheaval of the wars in Ukraine and Gaza and reflect a lack of good quality jobs available for young graduates.

“The reason behind such huge participation is that many students go through the bitter experience of not finding the jobs they deserve after completing their education,” wrote Anu Muhammad, a former economics professor and analyst, in the Dhaka-based Daily Star newspaper. “In addition, rampant corruption and irregularities in government job recruitment exams and selection processes have created immense frustration and anger.”

“The country’s economy shows growth, but jobs are not being created,” he wrote.

Hasnat Abdullah, a protest coordinator, said the students want to return to classes but will do so once their demands are met.

On Thursday afternoon, Bangladesh’s Law Minister Anisul Huq said that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina asked him to sit with the protesters for a dialogue, and he was ready to sit down on Thursday if protesters were willing.