Bangladesh protests: Top court scraps most job quotas after violent unrest

Bangladesh’s top court has scrapped most of the quotas on government jobs that had sparked violent clashes across the country that have killed at least 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.

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.

There are also unconfirmed reports that some of the leaders have been arrested.

Thousands of university students have been agitating for weeks against the quota system, which they say is discriminatory and should be replaced by recruitment based on merit.

It is not immediately clear how the protesters will react to the Supreme Court decision, but some protest group leaders are also demanding justice for the killings.

At least 50 people were killed in clashes 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 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 and a deadly government crackdown, including a curfew and a communications blackout.

The protests have been a long time coming. Bangladesh is one of the fastest growing economies in the world, but experts point out 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.