We have witnessed two weeks in which the nation was torn apart by events surrounding the movement against reinstating quotas for government jobs using the same formula as before. Students and job seekers began their movement on June 5, the day after a High Court verdict that ruled a 2018 circular by the government abolishing quotas in government jobs was illegal.

On July 1, student rallies and demonstrations were held at Dhaka University and some other universities. The protesters set 4 July as a deadline to meet the demand. On July 4, the Appellate Division did not stay the High Court verdict that invalidated the 2018 circular on cancellation of quota. Over the next few days, there were blockades and demonstrations at different universities. On July 7, the protesters started their 'Bangla Blockade' programmes, bringing Dhaka to a standstill for hours.

On July 10, the Appellate Division imposed a status quo on quota for four weeks. Protesters demanded to reform quota system for government recruitment under all grades. The next day, there were blockades across the country, defying police restrictions.

July 16: Prelude to bedlam

In a major escalation of violence on Tuesday, July 16, at least six people, including three students, were killed and several hundred injured in clashes between quota protesters and Chhatra League activists and police across the country.

Three, including two students, were killed in clashes between the protesters and BCL men in Chattogram. In the capital, two people died after being attacked in Dhaka College and Science Lab areas where protesters and ruling party student front Chhatra League (BCL) activists fought pitched battles for over seven hours.

In Rangpur, a student of Begum Rokeya University was killed in police firing - the first victim of the quota protest to die. The deceased was identified as Abu Sayed, 25, a student of English Department of the university and one of the organisers of the quota reform movement.

A video clip started making the rounds in social media that captured the mindless killing. It showed a group of police converging on Sayed on a street in broad daylight. He is gesturing defiantly, with his arms spread wide, the timeless gesture of the weak towards the strong, of the rebel towards authority. Progress depends on the strong one's capability for restraint. Unarmed, alone, Sayed poses no threat. But one of the police officers takes the shot anyway, as if at target practice. He uses a shotgun, which fires pellets, so the impact of the 'rubber bullet' isn't immediately clear, but it hits his upper body, and soon he falls to the ground and has to be carried away.

A student who took Sayed to the hospital, said, "Police were firing rubber bullets and tear gas at us. Sayed was hit in the chest and fell unconscious on the street. We took him to the hospital in a battery-run rickshaw. I tried to talk to him, but he did not respond."

Eunus Ali, director of Rangpur Medical College Hospital, said, "One injured student was brought dead to the hospital at 3:05pm."

"The emergency unit informed me that he suffered injuries from rubber bullets," he said.

The video quickly went viral, and sparked further outrage. Already incensed by BCL attacks on the protesters at several campuses over the previous two days (July 14-15), the quota protests swelled with students from private universities and colleges joining.

Soon the violence spread nationwide. Clashes between BCL men and police and students demanding reforms to the quota system were reported in Rajshahi, Bogura, Jhenidah, Cox's Bazar, Narsingdi, Sirajganj, Barishal, Kishoreganj, and Faridpur as well. The government deployed BGB in Dhaka, Chattogram, Bogura, Rangpur, Rajshahi, and Gazipur.

It closed secondary schools and colleges indefinitely and suspended the HSC exams scheduled for later in the week. The University Grants Commission citing an education ministry decision said all public and private universities and their affiliated colleges would be closed until further notice. It asked the students to vacate their dorms as well.

Hasnat Abdullah, one of the coordinators of the quota-reforms protests, said state-sponsored attacks were carried out against the protesters across the country.

Another coordinator, Asif Mahmud, announced that there would be a coffin procession and a gayebana janaza (funeral without the body) at Raju Bhashkarjo the next day to pray for the salvation of those killed during the violence. He urged all students to join.

The protesters blocked key intersections in the capital, including Jatrabari, Science Lab, Pragati Sarani, Shantinagar, Badda, Motijheel Shapla Chattar, Tantibazar, Uttara, and Beribandh, bringing traffic to a halt.

They also blocked rail lines in Mohakhali for more than six hours, snapping communications between Dhaka and most parts of the country. The students also obstructed Dhaka-Chattogram, Dhaka-Sylhet, Dhaka-Tangail, Dhaka-Mymensingh, and Chattogram-Cox's Bazar highways for most of the day.

Tension was high on public university campuses following the incidents of attacks on Dhaka University and Jahangirnagar University students on Monday (July 15). On Sunday July 14, it was felt that the prime minister during a press conference had been riled into branding the protesters as 'razakars'. A number of ministers subsequently made razakar references while talking about the protesters, and Chhatra League started attacking students that very night, which continued the next day.

On Tuesday, Chhatra League and quota protesters held separate rallies on DU campus. Both the groups ended their programmes without any major incident. Chhatra League held a rally near TSC while the demonstrators held their rally at the Central Shaheed Minar in the evening. But there was mayhem in Dhaka College and Science Lab areas and violence in Chankharpul, Rayshahebbazar of Old Dhaka, Bhatara on Pragati Sarani, Mirpur-10, and Farmgate.

Two youths were killed during clashes in Dhaka College and Science Lab areas between the BCL men and protesters. One of the two was identified as Md Shajahan, 24, a hawker who had a makeshift shop in front of Balaka Cinema Hall. He was found in a pool of blood near City College and was declared dead at Dhaka Medical College Hospital.

In the afternoon, another youth with critical head injuries was found near Dhaka College. Sabuj Ali, 25, son of Badsha Ali and Surja Banu, of Nilphamari Sadar was taken to DMCH where he was declared dead. Police had to scan his fingerprint to ID him.

Science Lab area turned into a battle zone as clashes continued between quota protesters, mostly college students, and Chhatra League activists for over seven hours. Both stick-wielding groups threw brick chunks at each other and chased each other. At least 127 people, including protesters and BCL activists, were injured. Chase and counter-chase continued for hours with brief pauses.

Meanwhile three people were killed during clashes between the quota protesters and BCL men in Chattogram.

The victims were Wasim Akram, 24, a student of Chittagong College, and an activist of the BNP's student front, Chhatra Dal, who had endorsed the movement the previous day; Faisal Ahmed, 24, student of management at the Omargani MES College, and Md Faruk, 32, an employee of a furniture shop, according to police Chittagong Medical College Hospital doctors.

Nuzhat Inu, on duty doctor at the CMCH, said the body of Faruk had bullet injury marks while Akram was stabbed. Some 30 injured people were admitted to the hospital.

The protesters were supposed to hold a rally in Sholashahar Railway Station area around 3:00pm, but BCL activists occupied the venue since 1:00pm.

When the demonstrators were heading towards the venue in droves, Chhatra League men attacked them at Muradpur, Sholashahar Railway Station and Sholashahar Gate No 2, triggering chases and counter chases, witnesses said.

July 18-19: Pandemonium

The events of Tuesday, July 16 set the stage for a spectacular upsurge on July 18-19. The death toll on Thursday and Friday reached at least 97, according to a Prothom Alo count, pushing the overall number of victims past the 100-mark.

On Friday, a total of 44 were confirmed dead by the newspaper, in capital Dhaka alone. Different areas of Dhaka turned into battlegrounds on the day, with Uttara, Jatrabari, Badda, Rampura, Mohakhali, Science Laboratory, Paltan, Mirpur-10, Mohammadpur, Dhanmondi, Nilkhet and Old Dhaka areas most affected. Different government and private establishments were set ablaze.

Outside Dhaka, government establishments were attacked in Narayanganj, Bhairab in Kishoreganj, Mymensingh, Madaripur and Cumilla. Offices and houses of Awami League and BNP leaders also came under attack.

Police fired huge amounts of teargas shells, rubber bullets, stray bullets and sound granades to quell the protesters. The law enforcers also used choppers in many places to drop sound grenades and teargas shells at the protesters and douse the fire. Like Thursday, police, RAB and at least 300 platoons of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) were deployed on Friday. But these all failed to quell the violent protests. Curfew was imposed across the country and army deployed in aid to civil administration at night.

Mobile internet was shutdown throughout the country on Wednesday night (July 17). The broadband service was also shutdown from Thursday night, plunging the entire country into an information vacuum, even as all this violence took place.

Arson attacks were carried out across the country. Among them was the fire set to the BTV main building, forcing the national broadcaster to go off air for around 24 hours. The office of the Department of Disaster Management was set ablaze around 3:30pm, damaging the cables of some data centres housed in an adjacent building.

The Setu Bhaban was set on fire in the evening, along with Dhaka Elevated Expressway toll plazas at Banani and Mohakhali, and the Mayor Hanif Flyover toll plaza in Jatrabari.

Obaidul Quader said in a press conference that the government will appeal to the court to keep 80 percent government jobs based on merit during a hearing before the Supreme Court. Justice M Enayetur Rahim, following an appeal of the attorney general, fixed Sunday for a hearing on the case.

The Cabinet Division issued a circular forming a one-member inquiry committee led by High Court Justice Khandaker Diliruzzaman to investigate the killings and other incidents.

The court weighs in

Till July 16, members of the government kept insisting that they would have to wait till the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court held its hearing on the issue, which was set for August 7. This fed the perception that the court may pass a verdict in favour of reinstating the 30% quota for freedom fighters' families, leaving the protesters with little room for manoeuvre.

On Thursday, July 18 though, as the violence escalated, it was decided to bring the hearing forward in front of the full bench of the Supreme Court. The new date was set for the following Sunday, July 21.

On that day, the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court cancelled the High Court verdict that reinstated the quota system in the recruitment of government jobs. Besides, the court also determined that 93 percent of government jobs should be recruited on merit and 7 percent through quotas, including 5 percent for the children of freedom fighters.

In light of this instruction, the Appellate Division has asked the executive branch of the government to issue a circular. This was subsequently issue on July 23.

A seven-member full bench of the Appellate Division led by chief justice Obaidul Hassan unanimously delivered this verdict. Despite this instruction and order, the court in the verdict said the government can cancel, amend or reform quota if it feels necessary 'on overall consideration'.

In the declared verdict, it is reiterated that ultimately the determination of quota is a policy decision of the executive branch.

Despite that, in accordance with the articles of 19, 27, 28 (4), 29 (1) and 29 (3) of the constitution, the quota has been determined to ensure the principle of equality and representation of the backward section of people of the republic's jobs.

The quota has been determined in the recruitment of government, semi-government and autonomous bodies.

It is recommended in the verdict that 93 percent of jobs be recruited on merit, 5 percent quota for the children of freedom fighters, martyred freedom fighters and Biranganas, one percent for ethnic minorities and one percent for persons with disabilities and people of third gender.

However, if qualified persons for quota are not available, vacant posts will be filled up from the merit list. The court's determination largely reflected students' demands in the end, but it had come at too high a price. And the question was, were the protests about quotas anymore?

The aftermath

On July 23, reacting to the circular on the new quota system issued by the government in light of the court order, the coordinators of the anti-discriminatory student movement gave the government a two-day ultimatum to fulfil their four-point "urgent demands", and said the process to hold talks on a set of eight-point demands could only open after that.

There is no scope to talk about the eight-point demands until the government fulfils their four-point demands, they added.

Five coordinators and a co-coordinator of the platform that has been leading the student movement seeking a reform in the quota system in government jobs, held a press conference at the Dhaka Reporters' Unity (DRU) Tuesday where they pressed their demands. A huge number of police took position on the road in front of the DRU before the conference began.

Once again the coordinators placed their four demands at the press conference. The four demands are: restoration of internet service; withdrawal of curfew; withdrawal of law enforcement agencies from campuses, opening of dormitories and ensuring a congenial atmosphere for the return of students; and ensuring security to coordinators of the movement.

They included Md Nahid Islam, one of the leading coordinators of the movement, who was picked up and tortured in the middle of all this. He attended the press conference wearing a lungi. Nahid said a group of plainclothes men picked him up from a friend's house on Friday night and tortured him mentally and physically. He discovered himself roadside on Sunday morning, the day of the court verdict. Nahid took a rickshaw to his house first. He was admitted to hospital with bruises on different parts of his body. Nahid's left thigh, two arms and shoulder had marks of bruises.

The same night that Nahid was picked up, some of the coordinators of the movement met three ministers at the state guesthouse, Padma, where they placed their eight-point demands. This had fuelled speculation of the movement being divided.

The demands include investigations into the killings of the protesters, as well as arrest and trial of the people responsible; financial assistance, monthly allowance to martyrs' families, as well as ensuring job for one of the family members as per the parents' opinions; allocation of seat at residential halls through administrative process; ending all terror activities and introducing student unions; withdrawing all cases against quota reform movement; and ensuring that no student involved in quota reform movement faces any political, legal and academic harassments by university administrations.

A demand for the prime minister to apologise for all the killings that took place was seemingly removed, as was one calling for the resignation of two ministers, Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader and Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan.

Speakers at the press conference said three of the anti-discriminatory student movement coordinators - Asif Mahmud, Abu Baker Majumder and Rifat Rashid - remain missing since July 18. That night however, they returned to their respective homes.

At the time of publishing, the internet was turned back on in some selected locations after 5 days of the complete blackout, but social media remains accessible only through VPN. The curfew remains in place and it is still uncertain whether the unrest has died down.