Letters | Student protesters in Bangladesh should respect the court verdict
- Readers discuss the latest student protests in Bangladesh, the Trump-Vance campaign in the US, and offline news
In the history of Bangladesh, students have made significant contributions. The Bengali language movement of 1952, when Bangladesh was a province of Pakistan, aimed for recognition of Bengali as an official language. During a language movement protest on February 21, 1952, police opened fire and several student protesters died. This movement is now commemorated annually on International Mother Language Day.
The mass uprising of 1969, led by students, resulted in the resignation of Mohammad Ayub Khan as president of Pakistan and set the stage for Bangladesh’s independence. During the liberation war of 1971, students also played a role in the struggle for independence from Pakistan. Their sacrifices are a cornerstone of Bangladeshi history.
In 2018, after students advocated for changes in a quota system for government jobs that benefited certain groups, including the families of those who had fought for independence from Pakistan, the system was abolished by the government altogether.
However, two months ago, the High Court overturned the government’s 2018 decision and reinstated the quota system, after some families of freedom fighters filed a suit.