By: Amy Goodman Published in: *Democracy Now !* Date: July 23, 2024 Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynJq7T01jC8 *Note:* The interview is in English and the transcript is embedded in the source
"The death toll in Bangladesh from a crackdown on massive student protests has risen to at least 174, with more than 2,500 people arrested, after police and soldiers were granted 'shoot-on-sight' orders amid the unrest. The protests were in response to a highly contested quota system for civil service jobs, with 30% of government positions reserved for relatives of veterans who fought in the country's independence war against Pakistan in 1971. The country's high court rolled that back Sunday to only 5%, but students are still demanding that a curfew be fully lifted, schools reopened, and detained students and protest leaders released. 'The collective anger that you're seeing is over inequality, lack of opportunity, and a perception that those who are close to the ruling class and ruling elite are getting all the benefits,' says journalist Salil Tripathi, author of a book on the Bangladeshi war of independence."
