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On Thursday, student protesters from the public Comilla University, southeast of Dhaka, clashed with police, who opened fire, local media reported. Twenty people, including students and three policemen, were injured as a result, local media reported.
Ruling party leaders and ministers have tried to paint the protesters as anti-nationals and against the government after Hasina, who has been in power since 2009, referred to them as “Razakars”.
In Bangladesh, Razakar is an offensive term that refers to those who betrayed Bangladesh in the 1971 war by collaborating with Pakistan.
“Why do they have so much resentment towards freedom fighters? If the grandchildren of the freedom fighters don’t get quota benefits, should the grandchildren of Razakars get the benefit?” she asked at a news conference on Sunday.
In response, protesters chanted the slogan, “Who are you? Who am I? Razakar, Razakar,” during a protest at Dhaka University.
A student leader quoted in a local media outlet said the slogan was chosen by students in response to the government’s efforts to discredit their movement.
Asif Nazrul, a law professor at Dhaka University, told Al Jazeera that the message the students intended to convey through their slogans was clear. “I doubt any student at Dhaka University would identify themselves as Razakar,” he said.
Nazrul also criticised the government’s response, suggesting it was eager to suppress the protests and had found a convenient pretext to do so.
How many people have been killed and injured in the protests?
At least five people have been killed, police officials said.
As of Tuesday, more than 400 people were injured, and 297 were treated at the Dhaka Medical College Hospital, the AFP news agency reported.
Were there clashes between protesters and Chhatra League?
