Shashi Tharoor Hopes for Peace Amid Violent Protests in Bangladesh
New Delhi [India], August 5: Congress MP Shashi Tharoor expressed hope that a solution would be found quickly as a fresh wave of violence gripped Bangladesh, leaving at least 93 people dead. Thousands have sustained bullet injuries in the clashes.
Tharoor stated, “Well certainly, I think the external affairs ministry must be monitoring the situation very carefully. Everything that I’m hearing is from the media and what I’m hearing is very, very worrying. There are some serious, serious law and order concerns there and while we respect very much the prerogatives of the government.”
He added that it is an “internal affair” and that everyone in India would want to see peace restored as quickly as possible. “Nonetheless, we hope and pray that a solution will be found very quickly and that peace and calm will return. This is a neighboring country. These are people who are our cousins, as it were, if not our brothers and sisters,” Tharoor said.
Reports indicate that anti-government protesters clashed with the police in at least 20 districts in Bangladesh on the first day of the student-led non-cooperation campaign, which aims to pressure Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to resign. The situation became more tense after members of the ruling Awami League poured into the streets to quell the demonstrations, turning things violent.
Amid the protests, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has strongly cautioned its citizens currently living in Bangladesh to be extremely vigilant and limit their movements. “In view of ongoing developments, Indian nationals are strongly advised against travelling to Bangladesh till further notice,” MEA said in an official statement. “All Indian nationals presently in Bangladesh are advised to exercise extreme caution, restrict their movements and remain in contact with the High Commission of India in Dhaka through their emergency phone numbers 8801958383679, 8801958383680, 8801937400591,” the Ministry added.
The protests erupted due to demands for reforming the quota system that reserves civil service jobs for specific groups, including descendants of 1971 war veterans. The unrest intensified after students opposed a new policy allocating government jobs to descendants of freedom fighters, leading to violence, including attacks on state television headquarters and police booths in Dhaka.
Doubts Revealed
Shashi Tharoor -: Shashi Tharoor is a famous Indian politician, author, and a Member of Parliament (MP) from the Congress party. He often speaks on international issues.
Congress MP -: A Congress MP is a Member of Parliament from the Indian National Congress party, one of the major political parties in India.
Bangladesh -: Bangladesh is a neighboring country to India, located to the east of India. It was part of India before 1947 and then part of Pakistan until 1971.
violent protests -: Violent protests are when people gather to show they are unhappy about something, and it turns into fighting or destruction.
civil service quota system -: The civil service quota system in Bangladesh reserves certain government jobs for specific groups of people. The students are protesting to change this system.
Ministry of External Affairs -: The Ministry of External Affairs is a part of the Indian government that handles India’s relations with other countries.
cousins -: When Shashi Tharoor calls Bangladeshis ‘cousins’ of Indians, he means that people from both countries share a lot of history and culture, like family members.