By Dhaka, Bangladesh – Bangladesh’s Supreme Court on Sunday scrapped most of the quotas on government jobs that had sparked nationwide protests by students, leading to violent clashes and resulting in at least 114 people being killed in recent days.
In a landmark ruling, the Supreme Court’s Appellate Division dismissed a lower court order, directing that 93% of government jobs in the South Asian country should be open to candidates on merit, Bangladesh Attorney General A.M. Amin Uddin told Reuters.
“Students have clearly said they are in no way part of the violence and arson that have taken place in Bangladesh since Monday,” Uddin said by phone. “I am hoping normalcy will return after today’s ruling and people with ulterior motives will stop instigating people. I will ask the government to find out the culprits behind the violence and take strict action against them.”
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government had scrapped the quota system in 2018, but the lower court reinstated it last month, pegging total quotas at 56%, sparking the protests and an ensuing government crackdown.
Internet and text message services in Bangladesh have been suspended since Friday, cutting off the nation of nearly 170 million people as security forces cracked down on protesters who defied a ban on public gatherings.
Soldiers have been patrolling the streets of the capital Dhaka, where many checkpoints have been set up, after the government ordered a curfew late on Friday.
Scenes outside the Supreme Court were quiet immediately after the decision, a stark contrast to the chaotic protests that had erupted earlier. A military tank was stationed outside the court’s gate, indicating the high level of security in place.
The protests have led to some of the bloodiest clashes in the country’s recent history, with local media reporting 22 people killed on Friday alone as protesting students attempted to impose a “complete shutdown” on the country. Somoy TV reported 43 killed on Friday, while an Associated Press reporter saw 23 bodies at Dhaka Medical College and Hospital.
The United States Embassy in Dhaka said Friday that reports indicated “hundreds possibly thousands” were injured across Bangladesh. It said the situation was “extremely volatile.”
The government has not shared any official numbers of those killed and injured.
The immediate challenge for the authorities is to quell further violence after police and protesters clashed at university campuses in Dhaka and other cities across the country. On Wednesday, universities suspended classes and closed dormitories, and on Friday, the Dhaka police said they were banning all gatherings and demonstrations in the capital until further notice.
Credit:Reuters
