Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) has strongly condemned and expressed outrage over the attacks on students protesting for quota reform in government jobs, perpetrated by members of the ruling party's student wing and external attackers.
In a press statement issued on Tuesday, TIB demanded that the attackers be identified and held to exemplary account.
Additionally, TIB called for a peaceful and constitutional resolution to the ongoing crisis.
TIB Executive Director (ED) Dr Iftekharuzzaman said in the statement, “For the last couple of weeks, a significant portion of students from different educational institutions were peacefully carrying out movements for quota reform in government jobs.”
He said they were initially hopeful upon seeing tolerance from the government and its supported student organizations towards the movement, based on the constitutional rights of students for freedom of expression and assembly.
However, he said, disgusting and barbarous attacks took place on students from the University of Dhaka and other educational institutions across the country yesterday.
“Reliable media sources have also reported that even female students faced cowardly, indiscriminate, and dangerous attacks and harassment in public. Media reports have also said that a student tragically died during the protests today in Rangpur. We are appalled, outraged, and disappointed by the attacks and death. We demand that the attackers be identified and brought to book, regardless of their political positions and identities,” she said.
Dr. Iftekharuzzaman expressed hopes that the protesting students would continue their peaceful movements, keeping in mind Bangladesh's legacy, a country where students have played a significant role in all rights-based achievements, including the glorious Language Movement and Independence.
He added, “The government should not ignore the logical demands of the students by passing the burden onto the courts; rather, it should take steps for a logical, modern, peaceful, and constitutional solution. TIB expects that the government will not attempt to curb the students' logical movement by instigating violence but will fulfill its constitutional responsibility of ensuring a peaceful environment for student protests.”
TIB believes that the top brass of the ruling party and the state should avoid negative sentiments about protesters and that the protesters should carry on their movement with the spirit of the Liberation War and patriotism. It must be ensured that the Liberation War and the valiant Freedom Fighters are not belittled in any way.
The TIB ED mentioned that the armed attacks on the protesting students the day before, which continued until midnight at various universities, were cowardly acts reminiscent of the Pakistani occupation forces and represented an institutional failure of the relevant educational institutions as they were unable to resist the violence.
He added, “The government and law enforcement agencies cannot evade responsibility for failing to prevent the attacks on universities in Dhaka, Chattogram, Jahangirnagar, Rajshahi, Khulna, and Cumilla by government-backed student organizations and external attackers. We watched with concern the sinister attempts to blame the violence on protesters, despite the perpetrators being the initial aggressors.
The entire state mechanism failed to stop the attacks. Especially, several government ministers have directly or indirectly incited violence, which is beyond condemnation. We are appalled and stunned by such attacks by external vandalists on university campuses in the dead of night, 53 years after independence. We do not want a repetition of such violence. These must be stopped immediately, and the attackers must be identified and brought to exemplary punishment, regardless of their identities and conflicts of interest.”
TIB has called on all parties, including the government and law enforcement agencies, to act with moderation and logic to find a reasonable, peaceful, and constitutional resolution to the quota reform movements. The organization has also urged the government and associated agencies to arrange proper treatment for everyone injured in the attacks, ensure the safety of the students, and maintain an environment for peaceful protests at any cost.