Bangladesh top court cuts back job quotas after unrest

WEB DESK: The Supreme Court has scaled back civil service job quotas that sparked deadly protests. But authorities are bracing for further unrest.

Bangladeshi authorities extended a curfew on Sunday before the country’s Supreme Court ruled to reduce government job quotas that this week sparked nationwide student-led protests.

The quotas originally reserved 30 per cent of positions in the civil service for the families of people who fought for independence from Pakistan in the so-called Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971.

Local media reported that a curfew imposed late on Friday was to run until 3 pm local time (0900 GMT/UTC), after the hearing, then continue until further notice after a two-hour break for people to take in supplies.

Internet and text message services in Bangladesh have been suspended since Thursday amid the protests, and universities and colleges have been closed since Wednesday.

What did the court say?

“The Supreme Court has said the High Court verdict was illegal,” Attorney-general A.M. Amin Uddin told AFP news agency, referring to a ruling last month that reintroduced the quotas.

He said that just 5 per cent of civil service jobs would remain reserved for children of independence war veterans and 2 per cent for other categories.

The quota rules were scrapped by the government in 2018 and their reintroduction caused widespread anger, particularly among the country’s young people, who make up around a fifth of the population.

The Supreme Court brought forward the hearing, which was originally scheduled for August 7, to Sunday.

Some observers say that public anger will continue at the government even though the top court has decided to reduce the quotas.

Massive protests

The demonstrations in the past week, led largely by university students, were the largest since Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was reelected for a fourth successive term this year in a vote without any real opposition.

At least 105 people died in the unrest.

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Critics say the quotas benefit families loyal to Hasina, 76, who has ruled the country since 2009.

Rights groups accuse Hasina’s government of misusing state institutions to consolidate its hold on power and suppress all dissent, including by the extrajudicial killing of opposition activists.

Anger at the quotas is especially rife among young graduates, who are facing an acute job crisis.

Soldiers are currently patrolling cities across Bangladesh, particularly the capital, Dhaka, following the protests, which saw deadly clashes between security forces and demonstrators.