Bangladesh Supreme Court cuts government jobs quota after deadly unrest leaves dozens dead

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) — Bangladesh’s Supreme Court on Sunday rolled back a controversial quota system for applicants for government jobs, a partial victory for student protesters after days of nationwide unrest and deadly clashes between police and demonstrators that left dozens dead.

Students, frustrated by a lack of good jobs, are demanding an end to a quota that reserved 30% of government jobs for families of veterans who fought in Bangladesh’s 1971 war of independence. The government had already ended the quota in 2018 following mass student protests, but in June the Bangladesh Supreme Court reinstated the quota, sparking a fresh round of protests.

In an appeals ruling, the Supreme Court ordered that the veterans quota be reduced to 5%, with 93% of jobs being allocated on the basis of merit. The remaining 2% would be reserved for members of ethnic minorities, transgender people and people with disabilities.

The protests are the biggest challenge to Bangladesh’s government since Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina won a fourth consecutive term in January elections boycotted by major opposition groups. Universities have been closed, the internet cut off and the government has ordered people to stay home.

The protests turned deadly on Tuesday, a day after students at Dhaka University clashed with police. Violence escalated as police fired tear gas, rubber bullets and threw smoke grenades to disperse stone-throwing protesters. Bangladeshi authorities have not released official figures for the number of dead and injured, but the Daily Prothom Alo newspaper reported on Saturday that at least 103 people had been killed so far.

Sporadic fighting was reported in some parts of the capital Dhaka on Saturday, but it was not immediately clear if there were any deaths.

Soldiers patrolled cities in the South Asian country ahead of the Supreme Court hearing. Interior Minister Asaduzzaman Khan said stay-at-home orders from 3pm to 5pm on Sunday would be relaxed to allow people to buy essential groceries.

Meanwhile, the government has declared Sunday and Monday as national holidays, during which only emergency services will be allowed to operate.

Protesters argue that the quota system is discriminatory and benefits supporters of Hasina, whose Awami League party led the independence movement, and say it should be replaced with a merit-based system. Hasina has defended the quota system, saying veterans deserve the highest respect for their contributions in the war against Pakistan, regardless of their political affiliation.

Representatives from both sides met late on Friday night to try to reach a solution and Law Minister Anisul Huq said the government was open to discussing their demands. Their demands include reforming the current quota system, reopening student dormitories that were closed by police after the clashes and for some university officials to resign after failing to protect campuses from the violence.

The main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party has backed the protests and vowed to organize its own demonstrations, as many of its supporters have joined the student-led protests. However, the BNP said in a statement that its supporters were not responsible for the violence and denied the ruling party’s accusations that it was using the protests for political ends.

The Awami League and the BNP have often accused each other of fomenting political chaos and violence, most recently in the run-up to the country’s national elections, which were marred by a crackdown on several opposition figures. Hasina’s government had accused the opposition party of trying to disrupt the vote.

An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that the Supreme Court ruling reserved 7% of government jobs for family members of veterans. In reality, that number is 5%, with another 2% reserved for members of racial minorities, transgender people and people with disabilities.

Saaliq reported from New Delhi, India.