Bangladesh protests: Supreme Court cancels most job quotas after violent unrest

Bangladesh’s Supreme Court has canceled most quotas for government jobs, sparking violent clashes across the country that have killed more than 100 people.

Relatives of veterans of the country’s war of independence from Pakistan in 1971 were allotted one-third of public sector jobs.

But now the court has ruled that 5% posts can be reserved for relatives of ex-servicemen.

The government is yet to respond to the verdict. But a lawyer for the petitioners said the quotas should continue, calling the Supreme Court verdict a “historic verdict”.

“Let everyone accept this verdict,” Shah Manjurul Haq told a press conference, adding, “Students should go home.”

He urged “third parties” not to “fish in the muddy waters” of the dispute.

However, the protests will continue, AFP quoted a spokesperson for a student group as saying.

“We welcome the Supreme Court ruling,” a spokesperson for Students Against Discrimination told AFP.

But we will not give up the agitation until the government issues an order reflecting our demands.

Streets in the capital Dhaka were deserted as the curfew entered its second day, but sporadic clashes were reported in some areas.

An armored vehicle was parked outside the Supreme Court building and soldiers were still patrolling the streets of the capital, Reuters reported.

It is said that some of the protest leaders have been arrested. Others seek justice for those killed in the conflict.

Around 115 people are known to have died, but local media report higher casualty figures. At least 50 people were killed on Friday alone.

In the Supreme Court order that 93% of public sector jobs should be recruited on the basis of merit, 5% is reserved for family members of the country’s freedom fighters.

The remaining 2% is reserved for ethnic minorities or persons with disabilities.

Abolished in 2018 by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government, the quota system was reinstated by a lower court last month, sparking massive protests.

Protest coordinators say police and the student wing of the ruling Awami League, known as the Bangladesh Chhatra League, used brutal force against peaceful demonstrators. The government denies this.

Bangladesh is one of the fastest growing economies in the world, but that growth has not translated into employment for university graduates.

Estimates suggest that around 18 million young Bangladeshis are looking for work. University graduates face higher unemployment rates than those with less education.