Bangladesh court scraps most job quotas after deadly unrest

Dhaka: A Bangladesh court on Sunday scrapped most of the quotas in government jobs that had sparked violent clashes across the country in which 100 people have been killed, media reports said.

A third of public sector jobs had been reserved for the relatives of veterans from the country’s war for independence from Pakistan in 1971.

But now the Supreme Court has ruled that just 5% of the roles can be reserved for veterans’ relatives.

The government has not yet responded to the ruling. A spokesman for one of the student groups was quoted by local media as saying the protests would continue.

Streets in the capital, Dhaka, remained deserted as a second day of curfew was in force, but sporadic clashes have been reported in some areas, the BBC reported.

An armoured vehicle was stationed outside the Supreme Court building, and soldiers are still patrolling the streets of the capital, Reuters reports.

Some of the protest leaders have reportedly been arrested. Others are demanding justice for those killed in the clashes.

About 115 people are known to have died, but local media report a much higher casualty figure. At least 50 people were killed on Friday alone.

The Supreme Court ruling orders that 93 per cent of public sector jobs should be recruited on merit, leaving 5 per cent for the family members of the veterans of the country’s independence war, according to local media.

A remaining 2 per cent is reserved for people from ethnic minorities or with disabilities.

Scrapped in 2018 by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government, the quota system was reinstated by a lower court last month.

That decision sparked huge protests across the country, with students saying the quotas were discriminatory.

The government responded with a harsh crackdown, including a curfew and a communications blackout.

Bangladesh is one of the fastest-growing economies in the world, but that growth has not translated into jobs for university graduates.