Quota reform protest: how has international media responded?

The quota reform movement that has paralyzed Dhaka and troubled Chattogram and Rangpur, has resulted in hundreds of injuries and six deaths, three of which were students, and drawn the attention of international media

Thousands of students across Bangladesh have been demonstrating for the past week in different educational institutions and universities demanding a reform of the quota system for government jobs.

Multiple reputed news organisations such as Reuters, BBC, Al-Jazeera, NDTV and more have covered the movement as it developed into violence.

This has been the first serious protest against the government since Sheikh Hasina won her fourth term, with clashes between the Awami League's affiliate student organisations and students protesting for quota reform in government jobs, reported Al Jazeera.

The US State department also made a statement about -at the time- unverified reports of two students dying, citing no sources but instead that the department was "monitoring reports" that included the injuries and deaths. 

These claims came before any such news was verified and reported by national news agencies, leading many to wonder if social media was used as the source for the statement.

A battle between stories has developed between the two sides, with critics of the government saying that the system unfairly benefits the children of pro-government groups that support Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, while the government has placed the blame on opposition groups like the BNP for the violence, according to a BBC report.

The AFP News Agency  reported that around 100 people were injured on Monday, citing Bangladeshi police sources, additionally witnesses including police said that protestors and AL backed students fought on the Dhaka University campus. Further statements revealed that the clash was filled with hurled bricks and stones, as well as fighting with sticks, rods, machetes and even petrol bombs. 

The Diplomat also revealed how the protest was being led, and why the government was having a hard time quelling it. In a report titled "Why Is the Bangladesh Government Unable to Quell Ongoing Students Protests?"They revealed that students have been using internet messaging apps to coordinate their activities by dividing themselves into small groups and forwarding messages from group to group.

This is allowing them to organise and coordinate while dodging surveillance efforts from authorities, says the report.

Coverage of the protests began earlier this month, when general students who demanded quota reformation grew angry after the High Court ordered the restoration of a 30 percent quota in government jobs for the children of freedom fighters, it said.