18 July 2024: 27 killed, 1,500 injured nationwide
This day also saw the murders of students Mir Mahfuzur Rahman Mugdho and Farhan Faiyaaz. Both deaths would turn into rallying points for the remainder of the movement
Bangladesh plunged into chaos on 18 July 2024 as anti-quota protests erupted into widespread violence, leaving at least 27 dead and over 1,500 injured across 47 districts. Dhaka and other major cities came to a near halt amid fierce clashes between protesters, law enforcement and ruling party supporters.
In the capital, the violence turned deadly. Mehedi Hasan, a journalist with Dhaka Times, was shot and killed in Jatrabari. Mir Mahfuzur Rahman Mugdho, a student and freelance worker from the Bangladesh University of Professionals (BUP), was fatally shot while distributing food and water to protesters. His death quickly became a rallying point for the movement. Others killed included Farhan Faiyaaz of Dhaka Residential Model College and Shaikh Ashabul Yamin from MIST.
While public university campuses had already been emptied under pressure, it was the students from private universities — particularly BRAC and East West — who revived the movement. In Rampura-Badda, they resisted police onslaught with tear gas and rubber bullets, rescued the injured, and reignited mass mobilisation across the capital.
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Internet services were cut nationwide from around 9pm, confirmed by several ISPs as an order "from the top," isolating protest hotspots and raising concerns over information blackout.
"Water, water, anybody needs water?"
In the evening, Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader announced a major concession, "On behalf of the Awami League, the government will recommend 80% of government jobs based on merit. The remaining 20% will be kept under quota."
Meanwhile, Detective Branch chief Harun Or Rashid, visiting Jatrabari that afternoon, issued a stern warning, "We will not spare anyone who lays a hand on the police or sets fires on the streets." He added, "The police are exercising patience. If anyone sees this as weakness, they're living in a fool's paradise."
Harun dismissed the violent protesters as unrelated to the quota movement, alleging, "We know who they are — we have their names and numbers. They're miscreants, affiliated with Jamaat-Shibir or BNP's destructive politics."
Later at night, a fire broke out at the BTV headquarters in Rampura. The broadcast was halted as several staff were trapped. Fire services were reportedly delayed while BGB forces focused on defending the building from a possible occupation attempt.
The day's events have now become a defining chapter in the student-led uprising.
