A controversial quota system for government job candidates was rolled back by Bangladesh’s Supreme Court on Sunday, providing a partial win for student protestors following days of widespread upheaval and numerous fatal clashes between demonstrators and police.
Students have been calling for the removal of a quota that allocated 30% of government positions for the relatives of veterans who participated in Bangladesh’s 1971 independence war as they are frustrated by the lack of suitable opportunities available to them. Following widespread student protests, the government had previously halted it in 2018. However, a new round of protests began in June when Bangladesh’s High Court reinstated the quotas.
In an appeal ruling, the Supreme Court mandated that 93% of employment be awarded on the basis of merit and that the veterans’ quota be reduced to 5%. The remaining 2% will go toward supporting transgender and disabled individuals as well as members of ethnic minorities.
The protests have presented the government of Bangladesh with its biggest test since Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was re-elected to a fourth term in January amid widespread resistance to the polls. The government has ordered citizens to stay at home, closed universities, and blocked access to the internet.
It was unclear if the protesting students were satisfied with the decision, with most communications offline. The government did not respond right away either.
Tuesday was the most tragic day of the protests, just a day after Dhaka University students started fighting with police. Police used tear gas, rubber bullets, and smoke grenades to disperse demonstrators who were throwing stones, which only escalated the violence. On Sunday, it was reported over 100 people have been killed in the deadly protests.
Soldiers swept the South Asian nation’s cities ahead of the Supreme Court hearing. According to Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan, Sunday’s stay-at-home directive was loosened from 3 to 5 p.m. to allow individuals to run necessary errands.
Only emergency services are permitted to function on Sunday and Monday due to the government’s declaration of these days as public holidays.
Protesters argue that a merit-based system should take the place of the quota system, which they claim is discriminatory and favors Hasina’s Awami League party, which spearheaded the independence campaign. Regardless of their party affiliation, Hasina has justified the quota system by stating that veterans should be treated with the utmost respect for their efforts to the battle against Pakistan.
The demands included quota reform as well as the reopening of university residence halls and the resignation of certain university administrators for their failure to safeguard campuses.
Since many of its members have joined the student-led protests, the major opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party has endorsed the actions and promised to plan its own protests. BNP, however, refuted the ruling party’s allegations that its members were exploiting the protests for political advantage and stated in a statement that its members were not to blame for the violence.
