# 2024 July protest deaths in Bangladesh
## Background and Events

The 2024 Bangladesh Quota Reform Movement began on July 15, 2024, when students at Dhaka University protested peacefully against the reinstatement of a controversial quota system for government jobs. The July 2024 Bangladesh Massacre began on this date, as the peaceful student protests escalated into a violent crackdown by security forces. The demonstration quickly turned violent as individuals armed with rods, sticks, clubs, and revolvers, believed to be members of the Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL), attacked the protesters. This violence spread nationwide, with coordinated attacks targeting student protesters across the country. On July 16, the situation escalated in Rangpur, where police fired tear gas and charged at protesters in front of Begum Rokeya University. During this clash, Abu Sayed, a student activist, was fatally shot by police, becoming a symbol of the brutality faced by the protesters.
By July 18, the death toll had reached 32, with the highest number of deaths reported on July 19, when 75 people were killed. The government's proposal for a discussion was rejected by protesters due to the mounting death toll. The crackdown extended beyond students, with journalists and bystanders also assaulted and killed. Despite the government's measures, protesters continued to demand justice and accountability for the deaths, injuries, and arrests that occurred during the crackdown. The government's heavy-handed response has been widely criticized for violating human rights and using excessive force.
Notably, popular unrest against the quota system is not new in Bangladesh, with large-scale protests erupting during the 2013 Bangladesh quota reform movement and the 2018 Bangladesh quota reform movement, demanding a more equitable arrangement, the latter of which was met with violence, including instances of assault, beatings, arbitrary detention, and abductions of protesters.

## Response and Impact

Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan reported the death toll at 150, while the leading Bengali-language daily, Prothom Alo, stated that 211 people had been killed since July 16 by July 30, 2024. Thousands of others have been injured. Media reports indicate that around 10,000 people have been arrested in the past two weeks due to clashes at protests and attacks on state properties. Rights groups have urged an end to arbitrary arrests, and critics have accused the government of using excessive force to suppress the unrest.
The Bangladesh army imposed a 'shoot-at-sight' curfew across the country after days of clashes between student-led protesters and the police. Internet and mobile services were blocked, leaving the world in the dark about the unfolding events as authorities cracked down on demonstrations over the allocation of civil service jobs. The UN Human Rights Council's 2016 resolution states that intentionally shutting down internet access to prevent or disrupt online information sharing violates international human rights law, urging all countries to refrain from and cease such measures.
The protests were fueled by the reinstatement of a 30% quota for children of independence war veterans in government jobs. The Supreme Court reversed this decision to a 5% quota amid ongoing unrest. Over 140 scholars, writers, and public intellectuals from around the world have written an open letter to United Nations Human Rights High Commissioner Volker Türk, expressing deep concern about the ongoing situation in Bangladesh caused by the quota reform movement. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell condemned the "use of excessive force" against protesters in Bangladesh on July 30, 2024, following days of violence that resulted in at least 206 deaths, according to an AFP count.
On July 29, 2024, Professor Sayeed Ferdous of the Anthropology Department at Jahangirnagar University urged everyone to refer to the killings committed by various government forces during the quota reform movement as the "July Massacre". The July 2024 Bangladesh Massacre stands as a stark reminder of the severe consequences of suppressing democratic rights and the lengths to which a government might go to maintain control. The brutal crackdown highlighted ongoing issues of corruption and abuse of power in Bangladesh and underscored the resilience of its people in their fight for justice and democracy.
The movement has shifted from demanding the end of the quota system to seeking the lifting of the curfew, the release of detainees, and the reopening of universities, rejecting changes to the job quota as insufficient.