Bangladesh Supreme Court scraps most job quotas that sparked deadly protests

go through Sam Jahan and Sudipto GangulyReuters

On July 18, anti-quota protesters clashed with police in Dhaka.
photo: AFP

Bangladesh’s Supreme Court on Sunday scrapped most government job quotas. This sparked student-led protests that left at least 114 people dead In South Asian countries.

Bangladesh’s Attorney General AM Amin Uddin told Reuters that the Supreme Court’s appellate division had overturned a lower court order directing that 93 percent of government jobs should be open based on candidates’ merit without quotas.

He said the protesting students said they were not involved in the violence and the government would find the perpetrators.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government had abolished the quota system in 2018, but a lower court reinstated it last month and set the overall quota at 56%, sparking protests and a subsequent government crackdown.

Reuters witnesses said that after the verdict was announced, the streets near the Supreme Court immediately quieted down and the army had been deployed to all corners of the capital Dhaka. Television footage showed a military tank parked outside the Supreme Court.

Local media reported sporadic clashes between protesters and security forces earlier in the day.

The government extended a curfew as authorities prepared for a Supreme Court hearing on job quotas. Soldiers patrolled the streets of the capital, Dhaka, the epicenter of demonstrations that turned into clashes.

The curfew, which was imposed late on Friday, was extended until 3 p.m. on Sunday and will resume for an “indeterminate time” after a two-hour break to allow people to collect supplies, local media reported.

Reuters could not immediately determine how the curfew would be implemented following the ruling.

Internet and text messaging services in Bangladesh have been suspended since Thursday as police cracked down on protesters violating a ban on public gatherings, leading to a nationwide blackout.

The nationwide unrest was sparked by student anger over government job quotas, including a 30 percent reservation for families of servicemen who fought for independence from Pakistan.

The Attorney General said the Supreme Court directed the government to reduce the job quota for families of independence fighters to 5%. He added that the remaining 2% of jobs still subject to the quota were for so-called backward groups and persons with disabilities.

The protests, the largest since Hasina was elected for a fourth consecutive term this year, were also sparked by high unemployment among young people, who make up nearly a fifth of the country’s population.

Colleges and universities have been closed since Wednesday.

The U.S. State Department on Saturday raised its travel advisory for Bangladesh to Level 4, urging American citizens not to travel to the country.

– Reuters