As students in Bangladesh protest again, Guterres calls for ‘calm and restraint’

United Nations, July 30 (IANS): UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for “calm and restraint” as students resume their protests, which were suspended last week, his spokesman Stephane Dujarric said.

Guterres “remains deeply concerned about the situation in Bangladesh,” Dujarric said at his daily briefing on Monday.

“He notes the reports that there are student protests again today and reiterates his call for calm and restraint,” Dujarric said.

The UN has raised its concerns with “the relevant authorities, both in the capital Dhaka and here in New York, and we count on Bangladesh to respect and uphold human rights, including as a largest troop contributor to United Nations peacekeeping missions,” he added.

The students were protesting against a 30 percent reservation in government jobs for relatives of freedom fighters who sought Bangladesh’s independence from Pakistan in a bloody civil war in which officials in Dhaka say 3 million people were killed in genocide by Pakistani forces and their supporters.

After the Supreme Court reduced reservations to 5 percent, student leaders suspended the protests last week.

But demonstrations resumed on Monday as students said the government was ignoring their demand to release all their leaders.

More than 175 people, including police officers, have been killed and more than 1,000 injured in the unrest that has shaken the country.

Guterres is “alarmed by new reports of excessive use of force by security forces and credible evidence of human rights violations” and “reiterates his call for all acts of violence to be investigated promptly, transparently and impartially and for those responsible to be held accountable,” Dujarric said.

Last week, the UN said it was “serious concerned” about reports that Bangladeshi authorities had used vehicles with UN insignia during the riots.

Dujarric said on Monday that the UN had taken note of statements by Bangladeshi authorities that vehicles with the UN mark are no longer being used in the country.

With 5,859 Bangladeshi troops deployed in UN peacekeeping operations, the country is the third-largest contributor of personnel to current UN missions.