Top court scraps most job quotas after violent unrest

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Top court scraps most job quotas after violent unrest

7 minutes ago

By BBC Bangla and Tom McArthur, BBC News, Dhaka and London

data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==Reuters

There is a heavy armed police presence in the capital Dhaka after days of clashes

Bangladesh’s top court has scrapped most of the quotas on government jobs that had sparked violent clashes across the country that have ******* more than 100 people.

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 court has ruled 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 AFP as saying the protests would continue.

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

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 ******* in the clashes.

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

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

A remaining 2% is reserved for people from ******* 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.

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Sporadic clashes were reported in some areas on Sunday

The government responded with a harsh crackdown, including

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.

Protest coordinators say police and the student wing of the governing Awami League – known as the Bangladesh Chhatra League – have been using brutal force against peaceful demonstrators. The government denies this.

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

Estimates suggest that around 18 million young Bangladeshis are looking for jobs. University graduates face higher rates of unemployment than their less-educated peers.

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The Bangladeshi authorities have imposed a curfew

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Violent clashes on Thursday and Friday saw more than 50 people *******

data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==data:image/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP///ywAAAAAAQABAAACAUwAOw==Reuters

Students and jobseekers have been potesting for weeks against the quotas on government jobs, which they say should be replaced by a merit-based system

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