Bangladesh’s top court scales back government jobs quota after deadly unrest
DHAKA, Bangladesh — Bangladesh’s top court on Sunday scaled back a controversial quota system for government job applicants, a partial victory for student protesters after days of nationwide unrest and deadly clashes between police and demonstrators that have killed scores of people.
Students, frustrated by shortages of good jobs, have been demanding an end to a quota that reserved 30% of government jobs for relatives of veterans who fought in Bangladesh’s war of independence in 1971. The government previously halted it in 2018 following mass student protests, but in June, Bangladesh’s Supreme Court reinstated the quotas and set off a new round of protests.
Ruling on an appeal, the Supreme Court — also known as the High Court — ordered that the veterans’ quota be cut to 5%, with 93% of jobs to be allocated on merit. The remaining 2% will be set aside for members of ethnic minorities and transgender and disabled people.
The protests have posed the most serious challenge to Bangladesh’s government since Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina won a fourth consecutive term in a January election that the main opposition groups boycotted. Universities have been closed, the internet has been shut off, and the government has ordered people to stay at home.
Police imposed a strict curfew in Bangladesh as military forces patrolled the capital after scores were killed during protests over civil service jobs.
With most communications offline, it was unclear whether the verdict satisfied protesting students, but a lawyer representing some student groups called the court’s decision historic. Shah Monjurul Haque said it was a start to reforming the problematic quota system.
“Everyone should abide by the verdict. I urge all protesters to return to their homes,” Haque said.
Law Minister Anisul Huq of the ruling Awami League party also welcomed the court’s decision and said it was “well thought of.”
The protests turned deadly on Tuesday, a day after students at Dhaka University began clashing with police. Violence continued to escalate as police fired tear gas and rubber bullets and hurled smoke grenades to scatter stone-throwing protesters.
Bangladeshi authorities haven’t shared official numbers of those killed and injured, but at least four local newspapers on Sunday reported that over 100 people have been killed.
Bangladesh’s prime minister says a six-story shopping mall that caught fire in the country’s capital had no fire exits.
An Associated Press reporter on Friday saw security forces fire rubber bullets and tear gas at a crowd of more than 1,000 demonstrators who had gathered outside the head office of state-run Bangladesh Television, which was attacked and set on fire by protesters the previous day. The conflict left streets littered with bullets and marked by smears of blood.
Sporadic clashes in some parts of Dhaka, the capital, were reported Saturday, but it was not immediately clear whether there were fatalities.
Hasnat Abdullah, a leader from the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement spearheading the protests, said many people have been killed, “so the state should take responsibility.”
Before the High Court hearing, soldiers patrolled cities across the South Asian country. Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan said the stay-at-home order would be relaxed from 3 to5 p.m. on Sunday for people to run essential errands.
Meanwhile, the government has declared Sunday and Monday as public holidays, with only emergency services allowed to operate.
Bangladesh is recording a higher number of casualties and infections from dengue as more than 360 people have died this year and infections of the mosquito-borne illness rise.
Protesters argue that the quota system is discriminatory and benefits supporters of Hasina, whose Awami League party led the independence movement, saying 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 Friday in an attempt to reach a resolution, and Huq said the government was open to discussing their demands. In addition to quota reform, the demands included reopening university dorms and for some university officials to step down after failing to protect campuses.
The main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party has backed the protests, vowing to organize its own demonstrations as many of its supporters have joined the student-led protests. But it said in a statement its followers were not responsible for the violence and denied the ruling party’s accusations of using the protests for political gain.
The Awami League and the BNP have often accused each other of fueling political chaos and violence, most recently ahead of the national election, which was marred by a crackdown on several opposition figures. Hasina’s government had accused the opposition party of attempting to disrupt the vote.
Alam, Garjon and Saaliq write for the Associated Press. Alam and Garjon reported from Dhaka, Saaliq from New Delhi.
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