How the July Uprising redefined Bangladesh’s political landscape

What began as a student movement demanding reforms to the government job quota system on this day last year soon evolved into a broader ‘Anti-Discrimination Student Movement’, ultimately shaking the foundations of the then-ruling, now-deposed Awami League, which had held power for over 16 years.

Few could have imagined that a movement initially focused on quota reform in public sector recruitment would, by July, transform into ‘July Uprising’, with students and ordinary citizens uniting in mass protests demanding their rights for vote, freedom, at the same date of last year.

The discontent was sparked by a High Court verdict that invalidated the government circular issued in 2018, which had abolished quotas in first and second-grade government jobs.

The abolition came in response to intense student protests at the time, but the High Court’s decision effectively reinstated a 56-per cent quota.

The reinstated quota system included 30 per cent reserved for descendants of freedom fighters, 10 per cent for women, 10 per cent for underdeveloped districts, five per cent for minorities, and one per cent for persons with disabilities.

Students denounced the quota arrangement as discriminatory against merit-based candidates and took to the streets in protest.

When the government sought to suppress the demonstrations with a heavy hand, the protests escalated into a widespread movement.

Although the full-scale protests began on July 1, 2024, the initial spark occurred on June 5 when students of Dhaka University (DU) staged an immediate protest on campus, rejecting the High Court verdict.

Despite the ongoing peaceful protests by students in the following weeks, no response came from the government, prompting students from DU, Jagannath University, Jahangirnagar University, Rajshahi University, Chittagong University, Barishal University and Bangladesh Agricultural University to launch a coordinated movement across the country on July 1.

Students from Jahangirnagar University even briefly blocked the Dhaka-Aricha Highway.

At around 7:30pm on July 1, a protest march was held at DU where students categorically rejected the High Court verdict.

Student groups marched through DU chanting slogans rejecting the quota system and demanding its abolition, declaring they would not accept the High Court’s ruling.

Meanwhile, under the banner of the ‘Anti-Discrimination Student Movement’, DU students also brought out a procession from the Central Library premises, which concluded at the Raju Sculpture.

Since then, the movement under the ‘Anti-Discrimination Student Movement’ banner has gained momentum, with different universities hosting various programmes on different days.

On July 2, student marches were held on major highways nationwide. On July 3 and 4, rallies took place at Raju Sculpture, Jagannath University, DU’s seven affiliated government colleges and other institutions under the National University.

Among the key demands raised by the protesting students were, immediate formation of a commission to review and reform the quota system, ensuring merit-based recruitment if quotas remain unfilled, halting multiple uses of quota benefits by individuals, ensuring transparency and accountability in the recruitment process.

The student movement marked a significant challenge to the government, reigniting debates on merit, equality and access to public sector jobs in Bangladesh.

After the historical movements in the history of this nation, this last year’s movement, where people from all walks of life joined without individual interest, left an undeniable mark, reshaping student activism, amplifying calls for equality and reminding the nation of the power of unified youth voices demanding change.