The Bangladesh Army recently received 11 TATA Mine-Resistant Ambush Protected (MRAP) vehicles amid a violent crackdown on student protesters.
Manufactured by Indian TATA Motors Defence Solutions (TMDS), these vehicles are seen in Dhaka streets to crackdown student protesters.
The TATA MRAP, also known as the MPV (Mine Protected Vehicle) is a 4 x4 wheeled platform designed for military, paramilitary and police forces.
“The TATA MPV boasts a successful track record within India. Several Indian police forces, including those in Maharashtra and Jharkhand, utilize the MPV for operations in Naxal-affected regions.”
Earlier, Bangladesh media reported that the Bangladesh army rushed to import those vehicles through the Benapole port and were cleared from the port and transported to Dhaka.
International pressure is mounting on Bangladesh to end its violent crackdown on protesting students after scores of video clips, and photos surfaced on social media over the past week showing police, army and paramilitary forces firing directly upon the protesters.
The United Nations, European Union and Amnesty International are among those that have called on the Dhaka government to ease up on the students, who have been demanding an end to quotas for government jobs that would limit their employment prospects.
University teachers have joined in the protests, which began after a July 1 High Court ruling re-establishing the quotas, and analysts say the students are enjoying broad support from ordinary citizens.
According to the quota system, 30% of civil service jobs – considered the steadiest job option for young Bangladeshis in a country facing high unemployment – would be reserved for the grandchildren of those who fought against Pakistan in Bangladesh’s 1971 Liberation War.
The students are demanding a merit-based system of job allocation. However, what started as a nonviolent protest turned violent after police fired bullets, pellets and tear gas at unarmed students.
According to reports by police and hospitals, more than 200 people died in the violence between July 16 and 22. Many deaths remain unregistered with bodies not reaching hospitals and police stations. Unofficial figures have put the death toll between 300 and 500.
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