How a peaceful protest turned deadly

15 July marked the beginning of violence on university campuses during the decisive weeks of the July Uprising, as members of the former prime minister Sheikh Hasina's student wing, the now-banned Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL), attacked anti-quota protesters.

Hours after senior Awami League leaders warned of a "befitting reply" to students who had chanted the slogan "Razakar" during the protests, BCL activists launched attacks on demonstrators at the University of Dhaka and several other campuses across the country.

The clashes left nearly 300 people injured at Dhaka University alone, including a significant number of female students.

The violence followed a warning by Obaidul Quader, then general secretary of the Awami League and minister for road transport and bridges, who said Chhatra League would give a "befitting reply" to students he described as "self-proclaimed Razakars."

The movement began in early July 2024 with demonstrations against the reinstatement of quotas in government jobs. Initially focused on quota reform, the protests rapidly evolved into a nationwide movement before facing a violent crackdown by security forces.

Quader's remarks came after Dhaka University students poured out of their dormitories on the night of 14 July, chanting, "Who are you, who am I? Razakar, Razakar," in response to Hasina's comments earlier that day. During a press briefing at Gono Bhaban after returning from a visit to China, she referred to the protesters as "the grandchildren of Razakars."

Violence erupts on campus

At around noon on 15 July, students from the University of Dhaka, Dhaka Medical College, the then DU-affiliated Seven Colleges, and several other institutions gathered in front of the Raju Memorial Sculpture to continue the anti-quota demonstrations.

At approximately 2:00pm, a group of protesters marched toward the university's residential halls after BCL activists allegedly prevented students from leaving the halls to join the demonstrations.

Musaddiq Ali Ibne Mohammad, then deputy coordinator of Students Against Discrimination, was among them.

"We first went to Mujib Hall and Zia Hall and brought students out. But when we reached the gate of Bijoy Ekattor Hall, BCL activists started throwing bricks, stones and glass bottles at us. That's how it started," Musaddiq recalled.

As tensions escalated, clashes spread across Mall Chattar, VC Chattar, TSC and Fuller Road.

Witnesses said BCL activists from Dhaka University and other institutions across Dhaka joined the attacks.

The clashes continued for hours as protesters retreated through different parts of the campus. Numerous students, including female protesters, were assaulted.

According to hospital records and protest leaders, approximately 300 students were injured during the clashes.

Images of attacks on female students, captured by photojournalists, spread rapidly on social media and sparked widespread public outrage.

A turning point

The unrest extended beyond the university campus.

Later that day, around 30 BCL activists entered Dhaka Medical College Hospital, where injured students had sought treatment.

Doctors on duty asked the activists to leave the hospital to avoid creating panic.

"They ignored our request. Instead, we had to move to a safer place while they searched the hospital for students who had participated in the quota reform movement," an intern doctor on duty said, requesting anonymity due to security concerns.

Intimidation continued even after the clashes subsided.

BCL hall-unit activists searched students' rooms in residential halls, checked mobile phones for evidence of participation in the protests and, in some cases, physically assaulted students.

For many participants, the events of 15 July marked a turning point in the anti-quota movement.

What had begun as a campaign for quota reform evolved into a broader political confrontation that intensified in the days that followed and went on to shape Bangladesh's political trajectory for the remainder of 2024.